DUSHANBE, August 7, 2010, Asia-Plus — Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi is currently in Tashkent to attend the third session of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue that is opening in the Uzbek capital today.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the session is expected to consider issues related to cooperation between Central Asia and Japan and implementation of the plan of actions of the Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue.
During his stay in Tashkent, Zarifi is also scheduled to bilateral meetings with his Uzbek (Vladimir Norov) and Japanese (Katsuya Okada) counterparts, the source said.
The Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue is a political initiative between Japan and the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with the goal to create “a new framework for cooperation, thereby elevating relations between Japan and Central Asia to a new level”.
The dialogue, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, is also meant to serve as a forum to promote inter-regional cooperation.
Turkmenistan, maintaining its policy of neutrality, participates only as an observer.
The dialogue was formally declared on August 28, 2004 in Astana, Kazakhstan at a meeting of foreign ministers from the four participating Central Asian governments and Japan. A joint statement was issued which outlined the parties” views on four areas: fundamental principles and values, expansion of Japanese-Central Asian relations, intra-regional cooperation within Central Asia, and cooperation in the international arena. The joint statement also outlined several areas of potential Japanese-Central Asian cooperation.
Japan”s efforts to create the “Central Asia plus Japan” dialogue are part of its “Silk Road diplomacy”, a term used for Japan”s current Central Asia policy.
This policy has two distinct goals: to further enhance bilateral relationships in the region, and to promote regional dialogue. The “Central Asia plus Japan” initiative is an attempt to encourage the latter.
