prijava
SARAJEVO, February 20 (FENA) - Ambassador if Japan to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hideyuki Sakamoto, hosted a reception on Thursday evening in Sarajevo on the occasion of Japan's National Day, celebrated as the birthday of Japanese Emperor Naruhito.
Ambassador Sakamoto recalled that Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, took the throne last year when an enthronement ceremony was held, with the BiH Presidency Chairman Željko Komšić taking part.
Welcoming numerous guests at the reception, including the members of the diplomatic corps in BiH, political representatives of BiH, representatives of public and cultural institutions, the Ambassador pointed out the good bilateral relations between Japan and BiH, with the cooperation developing in a number of fields.
“In addition to our continued support for the reconstruction of schools, health centers and the demining sector, which includes a total of 11 projects last year, the Government of Japan donated necessary equipment and special purpose vehicles for water supply, sets of agrometeorological monitoring systems for civil protection services, and patrol vehicles for motorway surveillance,” said the ambassador.
He believes that these donations would improve the capacities and efficiency of public services and added that new technical assistance projects have also been launched in the public transport sector with the Government of the Sarajevo Canton, as well as mentoring services for small and medium-sized enterprises, with the increased scope of cooperation with the University of Sarajevo.
“In the economic sector, we are following some positive developments in the manufacturing and IT sectors in BiH, as well as in other Western Balkan countries, and we hope that the Government will take new measures in order to attract foreign investments. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that political stability and a functioning government as the most important preconditions for attracting foreign investors,” said Sakamoto.
Since the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics will be held in Tokyo once again this year, the ambassador noted that some athletes from BiH have already qualified, and wished Amel Tuka, Mesud Pezer and Larisa Cerić good sporting success.
At the reception, representatives of several Japanese companies also showcased their products this evening, and guests were able to enjoy rich Japanese cuisine and sake.
(FENA) S. R.
