Skopje, 18 December 2024 (MIA) — Japanese Ambassador Otsuka Kazuya held a farewell reception Tuesday evening to mark the end of his term as Ambassador of Japan to the country. In his farewell speech, he said that despite global challenges to world peace and order, Japan and North Macedonia protected and promoted fundamental values ​​such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Reception attendees included President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Zoran Dimitrovski, and members of the diplomatic corps, the business community and the press.

Ambassador Otsuka said Japan and North Macedonia in 2024 marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties. To celebrate, he said, the Japanese Embassy "organized over 30 wonderful events: concerts, film screenings, exhibitions and workshops in cultural institutions across your country" with the help of the Ministry of Culture, businesspeople, and the Society for Macedonian-Japanese Friendship and Cooperation. He thanked them all.

The outgoing ambassador of Japan also said Japanese companies were eager to increase their presence in Europe, including in the Western Balkans, so he was hopeful that the new government would do more to promote the country via an information campaign that would encourage foreign investments from Japan. 

Otsuka noted that the 2025 Expo in Osaka would provide North Macedonia with an excellent opportunity for this kind of promotion.

"I would like to express my deep respect for this country," he continued. 

He said he had learned a lot, during his stay in the country, about Macedonian history, culture, the state's political challenges "as well as your capacity to maintain good relations with neighbors." 

"I love this country and I wish you success and prosperity on your path to the EU," the ambassador said.

In his remarks at the reception, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Dimitrovski pointed out that Japan was one of the country's most important partners.

"We are proud to say that, since 1996, Japanese support has reached an impressive amount of over EUR 430 million," Dimitrovski said, adding that Japan had directly contributed to improving citizens' lives through supporting numerous education projects, local infrastructure projects, water supply projects, health care projects and local self-government projects.

He also said Japan had provided key technical and expert assistance over the years. He said this help had been practically implemented through carrying out important studies crucial for the nation's development as well as through training Macedonian experts at prestigious Japanese universities. 

"This cooperation has directly contributed to building our professional capacities and accelerating our development," Dimitrovski said.

The event also included the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the history of the 30-year friendship between North Macedonia and Japan. mr/