News

On 23 June, during the bilateral consultations between the Lithuanian and Japanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs the first decade of the bilateral relations was overviewed and the future cooperation trends discussed. It was agreed to encourage visits of high officials, to hold regular bilateral consultations on the political and economic issues and to sign an agreement that would ensure a better and more stabile cooperation in the fields of education and science. The Japanese side informed on the planned visit of the Japanese parliamentarians’ delegation to Lithuania. Economic issues were also discussed at the consultations. It was stressed that the scarce Japanese investments in Lithuania did not comply with the level of Japan’s economic development. On the other hand, attention was drawn to the increasing volume of the bilateral trade. The officials of both countries discussed how to present Lithuania to potential Japanese investors in the most attractive way. The Japanese side welcomed the decision of the Lithuanian Government to participate in the world exposition “EXPO 2005” that will take place in the prefecture of Aichi in Japan. The Lithuanian and Japanese officials discussed the issues of international security and relations with the neighbouring countries. It was decided to continue cooperation in the international organisations, namely in the structures of the UN and the WTO, and give a special attention to Lithuania’s membership in the OECD.