BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10. Azerbaijan's Foreign
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with members of the
Japan-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship League as part of
his official visit to Tokyo.


This is reflected in the statement of Azerbaijan's Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.


The meeting included a wide exchange of views on the current
state and development prospects of Azerbaijan-Japan relations. In
this context, the importance of the mechanisms of political
consultations and the economic cooperation commission between the
two countries, mutual visits and contacts at various levels in
terms of further strengthening bilateral relations was noted.


During the meeting, it was emphasized that Japan was one of the
first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan, and
that the first official visit of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev
to Japan in 1998 was an important milestone in the development of
Azerbaijan-Japan relations and gave a strong impetus to the
expansion of political and economic cooperation.


In the course of the meeting, the role of Azerbaijan-Japan
interparliamentary cooperation was mentioned, and the relevant
importance of the Azerbaijan-Japan Interparliamentary Working Group
operating in the Parliament of Azerbaijan and the Japan-Azerbaijan
Friendship League existing in the Japanese Parliament was
highlighted.


Within the framework of the meeting, views were also exchanged
on cooperation relations in political, economic, humanitarian,
traditional, and renewable energy, tourism, education, and other
fields.


It was recalled that leading Japanese companies ITOCHU and INPEX
are among the reliable partners of our country, playing an
important role in the energy sector of Azerbaijan, especially in
the implementation of oil and gas projects.


Bayramov provided the counterpart with detailed information on
the history of the past occupation and conflict, the situation in
the post-conflict period, the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization
process, and the steps taken by Azerbaijan, the large-scale
restoration and reconstruction work carried out in the liberated
territories, as well as targeted measures taken to combat the mine
threat.


Additionally, during the meeting, views were also exchanged on
other regional and international issues of mutual interest, as well
as the situation in the Middle East.