The embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan hosted on 23 February 2024 a reception to mark the birthday of HE Naruhito, the Emperor of Japan.
Ambassador SASAKI Hiroshi delivered a speech at the reception. Here is the full text of his speech:
Your Excellency the President of Turkmenistan, Mr. Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV,
Your Excellency Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Mr. Rashid MEREDOV,
Dear members of the Diplomatic Corps in Turkmenistan,
Dear distinguished guests,
Good evening!
On behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for attending our national day reception to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
His Majesty NARUHITO turned 64 years old today. As you know, the Japanese Imperial Family has a long history. His Majesty NARUHITO is the 126th Emperor of Japan.
Now let me look back at the bilateral relations over the past year.
There have been active exchanges of high-ranking officials between our two countries. From Japan, members of the Japan-Turkmenistan Parliamentary Friendship Association as well as Vice Minister for Digital Transformation Mr. OGUSHI attended the opening ceremony of Arkadag City last June. Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. YOSHIKAWA also visited Turkmenistan in July.
An economic mission led by Mr. JEPBAROV, Chairman of the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan, visited Japan in December last year and had fruitful discussions with government and business officials for bilateral economic cooperation. During this visit a comprehensive maintenance contract for a gas-to-gasoline (GTG) plant, the only one in the world capable of refining gasoline from natural gas, was also signed between the companies concerned.
His Excellency Mr. MEREDOV visited Japan in January this year and had constructive discussion with Japanese high-ranking government officials, mainly on further development of bilateral economic cooperation and preparations for the First Summit of “Central Asia + Japan” Dialogue scheduled in this year. During his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Ms. KAMIKAWA, Cooperation Program between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of two countries for 2024-2026 was signed. Also, Mr. MEREDOV had a meeting with Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Mr. SAITO and exchanged their views on bilateral cooperation in the economic and energy fields. As a result, Memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the Realization of Energy Transitions was signed.
And this week, Her Excellency the Chairperson of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan Ms. Dunyagozel GULMANOVA visited Japan for the first time. She met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Mr. HAYASHI, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. NUKAGA, and had friendly dinner with the members of the Japan-Turkmenistan Parliamentary Friendship Association. During the series of meetings, situation on the recent bilateral relations and the importance of inter-parliamentary exchanges were fruitfully discussed. Only a month after Mr. MEREDOV’s visit, Ms. GULMANOVA visited Japan. I feel that bilateral relations between our countries are deepening through various channels.
Meanwhile, activities of Japanese companies in Turkmenistan have also become more active since last year. A major trading company, ITOCHU Corporation assigned a Japanese representative to its Ashgabat office last September. ITOCHU and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have introduced the gas-to-gasoline (GTG) plant mentioned earlier in Turkmenistan starting in 2019. This plant is located on a national road about 40 minutes by car east of the city of Ashgabat.
Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries constructed a thermal power plant in Lebap Province in 2021. The electricity produced here is utilized not only within Turkmenistan but also exported to neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan, contributing to a stable supply of electricity within the Central Asian region.
In the Caspian Sea region, Mitsubishi Corporation has constructed the Garabogaz fertilizer production plant, which is producing ammonia and urea at a high operating rate.
Tokyo Boeki EURASIA signed a cooperation agreement with the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan last December. The company has supplied electron microscopes and other precision machinery to research institutions in Turkmenistan. Now the company plans to establish a representative office in Ashgabat to further promote cooperation in the fields of science, technology, and education.
Sony’s state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment was installed in Turkmen National TV and radio station last year. TV programs and radio broadcasts you watch here are delivered through Sony equipment.
Many of the cars you see in Ashgabat are made by TOYOTA. Construction equipment vehicles made by KOMATSU are in use at construction sites.
Japanese companies are helping people’s lives in Turkmenistan in various ways.
The booths of the Japanese companies I have just mentioned are located at the rear of the hall, so please go to see them.
In the fields of culture and education, the ties between our two countries are growing stronger every year. In Turkmenistan, Japanese language education has been expanded since 2015 at the strong initiative of the National Leader of Turkmen People. The number of Japanese language learners in the country has grown dramatically. I hope that young students of Turkmenistan learning Japanese will play active roles as a bridge between our countries in the future.
At today’s reception, we will have a performance by the dance group of Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, a leading education institution for Japanese language in Turkmenistan. Also, students from the Turkmen National Conservatory of Music will perform theme songs and popular songs from the world-famous Studio Ghibli movies.
Lastly, I arrived in Turkmenistan last November, and I have a feeling that the so-called chemistry between Turkmenistan and Japan goes well together. There are many reasons and grounds for this, but I do not have time to mention them here.
However, I believe that it is my mission and the mission of the Embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan to build on this affinity between our two countries to overcome difficulties, such in the world, as well as various circumstances in which our two countries find themselves, and to bring the good bilateral relations that our predecessors have established to a new level.
Distinguished guest!
Today we have prepared Sushi, Japanese wine and whiskey, although not in large quantities. I hope that you will enjoy our reception to the end and experience the Japanese culture in this short time.
Thank you very much. /// nCa, 24 February 2024
Here are some pictures from the event:
