Five Greece-Japan agreements – How our country’s relations with the world’s third economic power are being upgraded

The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo. The two leaders signed Joint Declaration of Strategic Cooperation between Greece and Japan, which upgrades bilateral relations to a strategic nature and strengthens the cooperation of the two countries in areas of mutual interest. After their private meeting, a meeting was held in the presence of the two delegations and an official dinner was held.

The agreements completed during the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Japan and which expand the bilateral contractual framework and strengthen cooperation with the third economic power in the world:

– Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Tourism,
– Arrangement between the General Directorate of Defense Equipment & Investments of the Ministry of National Defense and the corresponding Japanese ATLA body,
– Memorandum of Understanding between Hellenic Export Credit Company and corresponding Japanese Nippon Export & Investment Insurance (NEXI) (signed on Tuesday),
– Memorandum of Understanding between Enterprise Greece and the corresponding body Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) (signed on Tuesday),
– Reaching an agreement on the text of the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention.

The Greece-Japan Joint Declaration of Strategic Cooperation signed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida opens a new page in Greece-Japan relations. It upgrades them to a strategic nature and reactivates them at the highest level.

In the Joint Declaration there are important references by the two leaders to the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries by all members of the international community and to the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Greece and Japan “as maritime states”, as it is stated, still underline the importance of compliance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The commitment of the two leaders to upgrade relations at a strategic level covers cooperation in areas of common interest and, as stated, is based on, but not limited to, the following axes:

1. Political Cooperation

2. Cooperation on Regional Issues – Among other things, special reference to the commitment of the two countries to the full respect of International Law, including UNCLOS, and to the role of each country as a pillar of stability in its region
– Explicit reference to opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion
– Reference to the need to respect UNCLOS

3. Strengthening bilateral cooperation in 10 priority areas.
Including,
– Cooperation in Shipping
– Economic cooperation, Investments and Trade
– Tourism
– Defense and Security Cooperation
– Cooperation in the field of Energy
– Cooperation in Culture

4. Cooperation in Multilateral frameworks
i) Cooperation within the UN
ii) Strengthening of Cooperation within the framework of the E.U.
iii) Cooperation in Defense and Security within the framework of NATO

5. Cooperation on Global Issues (Disaster Prevention and Humanitarian Programs, Climate Change, Cyber ​​Security, Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Global Economic Situation).

The following is the position of Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the joint statements with Fumio Kishida after their meeting.

“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for this very warm welcome. It is my great pleasure and honor to visit Japan and we can give new impetus to our relations, at the top level, after almost two decades.

Greece and Japan represent two ancient civilizations with valuable global cultural contributions. They are at the same time two modern states, two strong democracies, facing similar challenges and agreeing on particularly important global and regional issues.

I am very happy that we are signing a Joint Declaration of Strategic Cooperation. With this declaration, our countries significantly upgrade their strategic relations and we inaugurate a field of close cooperation in a range of different policy areas: politics, economy, climate, digital education, culture, tourism. And this text that we will sign will be our “compass”, a guide for the full development of our bilateral cooperation in the coming years.

We had a first opportunity to discuss matters of common interest. We have identified great opportunities in the field of economic cooperation, given that Japan is the third largest economy in the world and Greece is emerging as a reliable and very stable investment destination and trading partner.

I had the opportunity to inform the Prime Minister about the progress we have been able to make. The Greek economy grew by almost 5.6% in 2022, a rate almost twice the average forecast for the Eurozone, and is a very attractive destination for foreign direct investment in the Eastern Mediterranean.

We had the opportunity to review our excellent maritime cooperation as two of the world’s leading shipping nations. And as next year our two countries will celebrate 125 years of diplomatic relations, we plan to celebrate the Year of Culture and Tourism, with a series of events that will be organized in various cities in Greece and Japan.

The Prime Minister pointed out how dramatically the world changed in 2022, with the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that no one was left unaffected by the upheaval caused by this action. We exchanged views on Russia’s aggression and the next steps to be taken by the international community.

I believe that our discussions are much more timely given the adoption of Japan’s new national security strategy – which we welcome – and of course in view of Japan’s presidency of the G-7 group this year. As a member of NATO, as a member of the European Union, we support the strengthening of relations between Japan and NATO and Japan and the European Union. I believe this is a mutually beneficial relationship, Mr. Prime Minister.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, we have from the beginning fully supported the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We are absolutely determined to stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary. We have an additional reason for sensitivity regarding the issue of Ukraine, Mr. Prime Minister: members of the Greek community in Mariupol were among the first civilian victims, in the very first days of the war.

Of course, Greece, like Japan, both countries are staunch supporters of basic principles, such as the principle of non-use of violence and the inviolability of borders. International disputes must be resolved based on International Law and we cannot accept any unilateral change of the status quo through the use of force.

We firmly believe in a rules-based international order where International Law is respected and revisionist agendas are not acceptable. We will have the opportunity to further discuss regional challenges during dinner.

The situation you are facing in terms of North Korea’s missile provocations is completely unacceptable. We agreed that we remain steadfast in our condemnation of these actions. I will also have the opportunity to update the Prime Minister on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the unfortunate inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions of our neighbor Turkey, which undermine regional stability and security. We will always keep, Mr. Prime Minister, the dialogue window open. But as a sovereign nation, we cannot accept any threat to our sovereignty and sovereign rights.

In summary, I am very happy that my visit gives new momentum to our bilateral relations. We have concluded and signed important agreements. The most important strengthening of our economic ties, of course, will be the agreement to avoid double taxation. I think it is realistic to expect that this agreement will be signed before the end of the year. And I believe that today we laid the foundations for a mutually profitable cooperation between like-minded strategic partners.

I am confident that Greece and Japan will continue to work together to fulfill the wishes of our peoples for lasting peace and prosperity. Tomorrow we will have another series of meetings with important businessmen and trade representatives. I will have the pleasure to address students of the University of Tokyo. And I would like to thank you again, Mr. Prime Minister, for this very warm welcome. I would like to invite you to visit Greece and see “first-hand” the transformation of our country from a laggard in the European Union to a protagonist, and to continue to promote this important strategic partnership.

Again, on behalf of our delegation, thank you very much for this warm welcome.”

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