On September 6, the Foreign Ministry hosted a reception dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and Ambassador of Japan to Armenia Eiji Taguchi exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Serzh Sargsyan, President of RA and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, as well as between Foreign Ministers.

At the reception, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Emergency Situations Davit Tonoyan, Japanese Ambassador to Armenia Eiji Taguchi made remarks.

In his speech Minister Nalbandian noted that on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries two sides can state with satisfaction the upward development of Armenian – Japanese interstate relations, which received a new impetus with the official visit of the President of the Republic of Armenia to Japan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia touched upon the achievements recorded in bilateral cooperation during the quarter-century of diplomatic relations.

Minister Nalbandian touched upon the last week decision of the Government of Armenia to waive the requirement of entry visa for Japanese citizens and noted that the Japanese government, in its turn, made a decision on facilitation from September 1 of the entry of Armenian citizens to Japan.

Foreign Minister Nalbandian also informed of the conclusion of negotiations on the draft agreement between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of Japan for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, underlining that the signing of the agreement will serve as an impulse for deepening mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

At the reception Davit Tonoyan, Minister of Emergency Situations of RA, and Eiji Taguchi, Ambassador of Japan to Armenia, signed the Grant Agreement /with Exchange of Notes/ between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of Japan for the Project for Improvement of Fire Fighting Equipment which envisages provision by the Government of Japan of a grant in an amount of around 14 million US dollars for the purpose of acquiring 36 fire trucks for the technical replenishment of rescue subdivisions of Shirak, Lori and Syunik marzes.

Speaking about the agreement, Edward Nalbandian mentioned that the signing of the document is yet another proof of an effective cooperation, noting that emergency response and rescue services are among the important spheres of cooperation.