Japan and Azerbaijan strike major new energy deal in Tokyo

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov discussed energy cooperation between the two countries on Wednesday.

Motegi expressed Japan's desire to "further strengthen cooperation in the energy area, including crude oil supply, given the impact of the current situation in the Middle East," a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Both sides expressed "their intention to further develop cooperation in energy security, including securing a stable supply of Azerbaijani-produced crude oil," said a joint statement.

Japan, which relies heavily on energy imports from the Middle East, has become increasingly vulnerable to supply shocks affecting crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict in late February, which severely disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The two ministers agreed on further boosting cooperation between their two countries, such as the economy, decarbonization, strengthening connectivity through the "Trans-Caspian International Transport Route," and cooperation for progress in investment agreement negotiations.

Motegi and Bayramov also discussed regional issues, including the Indo-Pacific, North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the Middle East, Ukraine, and cooperation in international forums.

After Bayramov briefed him on Azerbaijan's diplomatic efforts toward peace with Armenia, Motegi expressed "respect for the continued efforts of Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome conflict and bring lasting peace and prosperity to the region," as well as Japan's wish to support building mutual trust in the region.

Japan also welcomed Azerbaijan's decision to unilaterally grant visa-free entry to Japanese citizens for a period of one year to promote tourism and expand ties, according to the joint statement.

Bayramov was on a two-day visit to Japan that began on Tuesday.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry also released a statement on the meeting between Motegi and Bayramov, saying the latter informed his Japanese counterpart about Baku's initiative to introduce a visa-free regime for Japanese citizens traveling to the South Caucasus nation.

"The ministers noted that this will further contribute to the development of people-to-people contacts, tourism and business relations," the statement said.

Indicating that the current state and development prospects of Azerbaijan-Japan, as well as the expansion of political dialogue and cooperation, were discussed during the meeting, the statement said the meeting reviewed opportunities for expanding economic cooperation.

It said that Bayramov spoke about the growing role of Azerbaijan as an international transport and logistics hub, drawing attention to the importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

The Azerbaijani side noted the presence of important infrastructure in the country and the broad opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two countries, the statement added.

Both sides highlighted the "importance of long-term cooperation in the field of energy security, noting the important role played by Azerbaijan in ensuring global energy security," it said, adding that Bayramov also informed the Japanese side about the current situation with regard to normalization with Armenia, among other issues.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada