NA Deputy Speaker Hakob Arshakyan presented details of his visit to Japan.
"First of all, I would like to note that the main reason for the visit was the invitation of the Japanese side to participate in the funeral ceremony of former Japanese Prime Minister, statesman Shinzo Abe, which was attended by high-ranking delegations from dozens of countries.
During the ceremony, I conveyed condolence to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisida, President of the House of Representatives Hidehisa Otsuji, and Shinzo Abe's widow Akie Abe on behalf of the Armenian people.
During my visit to Tokyo, I met President of the House of Representatives of Japan Hidehisa Otsuji and Deputy Speaker Hiroyuki Nagahama, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ms. Keiko Nagaoka, Digitization Minister Taro Kono, Head of Armenia-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Takeaki Matsumoto, Senior Vice President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Keichiro Nakazawa.
During the meeting with Hidehisa Otsuji, the President of the House of Parliament, I presented in detail the situation created as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression; I conveyed detailed information about the Azerbaijani encroachments on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13-14, including the civilian and military victims of the Republic of Armenia, the damage caused to the settlements and civil infrastructures of Armenia.
In this context, I emphasized the international community's direct condemnation of Azerbaijan's aggressive actions.
Hidehisa Otsuji expressed regret for the military escalation and condolences for the loss of life in Armenia. He also informed that Japan supports peace everywhere and is ready to help establish peace in the region.
Referring to the cultural ties, the Vice President of the House of Parliament, Hiroyuki Nagahama, noted that composer Aram Khachatryan is very famous in Japan, sword dance is often called Armenian dance, and Komitas is a unique part of the classical music scene.
During a separate meeting, we discussed with Takeaki Matsumoto, the head of the Armenia-Japan inter-parliamentary friendship group, issues related to the greater activation of friendship groups and cooperation in various fields.
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Mrs. During the meeting with Keiko Nagaoka, the possibility of expanding the student exchange and scholarship program was discussed, which will contribute to the development of relations between the two countries.
We discussed the possibilities of implementing joint scientific programs, as well as new opportunities for the development of cultural ties.
Minister of Digitization Taro Kono visited Armenia in 2018 as Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the beginning of the meeting, he mentioned that he is familiar with Armenia's developments in the fields of high technologies and digitization and would be happy to develop cooperation.
Presenting in detail the positive developments in the technology sector in Armenia in recent years, I suggested to the minister to consider the entry of Japanese technology companies into Armenia, which can be a stimulus for the development of activities between Armenians and Japanese companies.
The possibility of cooperation in artificial intelligence, innovation, and cyber security was also discussed.
Mr. Kono expressed interest in the possible launch of Tumo in Tokyo and also pointed out the issue of education and training of specialists in Japan as a challenge.
At the meeting with Keichiro Nakazawa, Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), I thanked them for the existing cooperation in disaster management and prevention and the continuous support provided by Japan to Armenia.
We discussed several issues regarding the development of cooperation between Armenia and Japan in humanitarian, scientific, cultural, economic, high-tech, and crisis prevention.
We agreed with our Japanese colleagues to continue the two-way steps aimed at implementing the discussed issues through the relevant departments and embassies, and to make efforts towards the further development of relations."
