Skopje, 10 March 2025 (MIA) - Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi met Monday with the new Ambassador of Japan, Setsuko Kawahara.

In a press release Parliament said Speaker Gashi expressed hope that North Macedonia and Japan will deepen their good and friendly relations, adding that Japan is one of the country’s largest bilateral donors in several areas, especially education and healthcare, through technical assistance projects, grants and donations.

Ambassador Kawahara stressed she would do everything to deepen the relations between the two countries in all areas and boost trade during her term. 

The Speaker of Parliament informed the Ambassador that the Parliament of North Macedonia has established a parliamentary group for cooperation with Japan and is interested in promoting cooperation at the highest parliamentary level. Gashi added that as Speaker he is working on promoting parliamentary diplomacy and strengthening dialogue.

“Interlocutors discussed the possibility of the two countries exchanging experiences in several areas, especially education, where Japan has excellent results as a country. The Speaker of Parliament welcomed Japan’s heightened interest in the country as part of the Western Balkan region, demonstrated through the Japanese Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative,” Parliament said in the press release.

Photo: Parliament