DUSHANBE, November 8, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi has departed for Tokyo to attend the next Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, the Tajik MFA information department reports.
The meeting that will take place on November 10 will focus on issues related to trade and investments, energy, development of the renewable energy resources, environmental protection and regional security, the source said.
Japan’s Prime Minister Yosihiko Noda is expected to receive heads of delegations. On the sidelines of the meeting, Zarifi is supposed to hold a number of bilateral talks in Tokyo, the source added.
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 statement also declared the dialogue”s main objectives: the strengthening of peace, stability, and democracy in the Central Asian region; the strengthening of the region’s economic foundations, the promotion of reform and the social development of the region, including the correction of intra-regional disparities; the strengthening of intra-regional cooperation by the Central Asian countries; the maintenance and development of good relations between Central Asia and neighboring regions as well as with the international community; and cooperation between Japan and Central Asia with respect to both regional issues and issues having international dimensions. The joint statement also outlined several areas of potential Japanese-Central Asian cooperation.
Japan”s efforts in creating 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.
International analysts have said that Japanese efforts in the realm of regional integration and cooperation, especially with regard to Afghanistan, are helpful and complement the efforts of other groups such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It has also been suggested that the “Central Asia plus Japan” dialogue, along with the development of bilateral relations between Japan and the Central Asian countries, will help provide the region with an alternative to the growing influence of the
