July 18th, commencing at 2:30 p.m., for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. YAMADA Kenji, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call by H.E.Mr. Gorgui CISS, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal to Japan, on the occasion of his departure. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, State Minister Yamada expressed his appreciation for Ambassador Ciss's efforts to deepen Japan-Senegal relations during his tenure, including the visit to Japan of President Sall, and conveyed Japan’s intent to continue the cooperation in various fields, including development, business, and people-to-people exchange.
- State Minister Yamada also stated that Japan salutes President Sall's decision not to run in the upcoming Senegalese presidential election in February next year, that this decision demonstrates once again to the international community that Senegal is an example of democracy in Africa, and that Japan hopes the electoral process will proceed peacefully.
- Ambassador Ciss expressed his gratitude once again for State Minister Yamada's visit to Senegal and his attendance at the 8th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa. Ambassador Ciss also stated that he was pleased with the contribution of Senegal as the AU chair to the success of TICAD 8 last year and with the successful realization of the visit to Japan of President Sall last December.
- In addition, Ambassador Ciss stated that he was pleased to have been able to deepen bilateral relations, including business promotion between Japan and Senegal, during his term of office, and expressed his hope that relations between the two countries will be further strengthened even after his departure.
