Skopje, 11 January 2023 (MIA) – President Stevo Pendarovski received on Wednesday the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of North Macedonia, Otsuka Kazuya.

President Pendarovski at the ceremony of presentation of credentials, underscored that North Macedonia attaches great importance to the development of relations and cooperation with Japan, noting that taking opportunities on bilateral level and implementation of projects within the Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative launched by Japan, contribute to greater economic cooperation and the opportunity for investments by Japanese companies in the region as well as the sharing of Japanese experiences and knowledge, which has a significant impact on the further strengthening of cooperation and rapprochement between the two countries, President’s Office said in a press release.

President Pendarovski underlined that Japan is among the largest bilateral donors to North Macedonia, contributing with the implementation of technical assistance for a series of projects in the development of infrastructure, improvement of health, agriculture, education, environment, culture, support of small and medium enterprises, etc.

President Pendarovski said that today, in conditions of shaken European security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are faced with new challenges that require unity and wisdom to preserve peace and stability in Europe, but also additional efforts to deal with the energy and economic crisis.

“Mutual cooperation and support on this plan is a priority for the governments and I believe that North Macedonia and Japan can achieve significant cooperation Ambassador Kazuya assessed that the excellent bilateral relations can be further Japanese Ambassador Kazuya said that the excellent bilateral relations can be further developed especially in the field of political dialogue, economy, culture and exchange programmes with the approaching the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2024.

Stressing that Japan places great importance to stability and prosperity in the Western Balkan region, where the stable development of North Macedonia plays a key role, Ambassador Kazuya said that, starting from this position, Japan has always supported and will continue to support the reform efforts of our country towards Euro-Atlantic integration.