Djuric in Tokyo: Important to advance Serbia’s position in Japan, talks also on Kosovo

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric, currently on a working visit to Tokyo, stated that his visit is important for strengthening Serbia’s position in Japan, adding that he also discussed the issue of Kosovo with Japanese officials, with particular gratitude and respect for Japan’s abstention when Pristina attempted to join UNESCO, thereby showing understanding for Serbia’s heritage in Kosovo.

“This is an important visit to strengthen Serbia’s position in Japan and a prelude to further high-level visits we will have next month to this country. Japan is an important partner for Serbia, and that is why it matters that today’s meetings – with Foreign Minister Mr. Takeshi Iwaya, with representatives of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), as well as with members of the parliamentary group – were all conducted in a positive spirit,” Minister Djuric emphasized.

He pointed out that this was the first visit of a Serbian foreign minister to Japan since 2009, which makes it an extraordinary opportunity to advance Serbia’s position in one of the world’s four largest economies.

“Japan is an economic and technological powerhouse, a country that employs more than 5,000 people in Serbia, and Japanese investments are significant – not only technologically, but also organizationally, economically, and politically. They represent an important step for our economy,” the Minister said, adding that work is also underway on an investment protection agreement that should provide an additional boost to economic cooperation between Serbia and Japan.

“We also discussed sensitive political issues, including the question of Kosovo and Metohija, where our positions differ. Still, we are grateful and respectful of the fact that Japan, for example, abstained when Pristina sought to join UNESCO. Japan thus demonstrated recognition and understanding for our heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, and that is why this was an important opportunity to present our case to them on this matter as well,” Minister Djuric underlined.

He also noted that Serbia has friends in Japan, including many in influential positions, with bilateral relations dating back to 1882.

“It is in our interest to develop economic and all other forms of cooperation with them, as Japan will undoubtedly remain one of the world’s leading economies and leading countries in the years ahead,” Djuric added.

He recalled that President Aleksandar Vucic broke new ground in 2018 by decorating former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and that today efforts are underway to continue building Serbia’s relations with Japan.

“We expect an acceleration of Japanese investments in Serbia, as well as continued high- and top-level visits. In the overall mosaic of Serbia’s balanced foreign policy, the fact that within a month we had a meeting with Senator Marco Rubio in Washington, two weeks later with the Japanese Foreign Minister, while in the meantime the Foreign Minister of Congo visited Belgrade – along with many other officials – is truly something I am proud of. It is not often that a country of our size enjoys such open doors. I believe this is the result of responsible economic policy pursued in our country in recent years, as well as Serbia’s consistent efforts to contribute to regional stability. The team led by President Vucic has succeeded in positioning Serbia as one of the key actors in our part of Europe,” Minister Djuric said.

Serbia will host Expo 2027, and tomorrow the Minister will visit the Serbian Pavilion at the Expo exhibition in Osaka, which, as he noted, has already been visited by more than 700,000 people.

“They have become acquainted with our culture and our spirit, and experienced this as an invitation to visit our country,” Djuric added.