The official representative of the Land of the Rising Sun, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Belarus, Hiroki Tokunaga, visited Vitebsk.
The official representative of the Land of the Rising Sun, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of Belarus, Hiroki Tokunaga, visited Vitebsk.
"This is not your first visit to the Vitebsk region. In recent years, we have had many points of contact," said Vladimir Terentiev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, as he welcomed the guest. "First of all, I want to thank you for handing over a special vehicle for wheelchair users and the elderly to the Territorial Centre for Social Services of the Population of the Vitebsk District in November last year. It is also gratifying that figures from Japanese culture, education, and social spheres participate in our events. In particular, they performed at the International Festival of Arts 'Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk' and the IFMC Festival of Modern Choreography. Many joint projects are carried out by public organisations, for example, with the Peace Foundation and the Women's Union. Japanese volunteers shared their experience of clown therapy in healthcare facilities with the people of Vitebsk. Cooperation in the sports sector is proceeding fruitfully. Your judokas and masters of spochana, junior biathletes, and young trampolinists have visited us. I hope this will become a locomotive for creating mutually beneficial projects in the economic and tourism sectors."
Hiroki Tokunaga is confident that representatives of Japanese business should be familiarised with the potential of the Vitebsk region.
— The volume of dry whey imported from Belarus to Japan has recently increased. A whole complex of dairy processing enterprises has been established in the Vitebsk region, and they have great potential in our market. I am familiar with the products of JSC "Moloko" of Vitebsk, "Vitba" Confectionery Factory, and Orsha Linen Mill. Several Japanese businessmen have already visited you to study the production more closely, but this is clearly not enough, — the Ambassador reported. — Your region is of interest to us from the perspective of ecological tourism. Also, Japanese people love Marc Chagall very much, so Vitebsk, the small homeland of the great artist, can attract my compatriots. We are focused on long-term cooperation and are ready to provide you with assistance in various fields. For example, the grant assistance program of the Japanese government continues to operate, so you have the opportunity to submit new applications.
The meeting was attended by Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Member of the Presidium of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Sergey Rakhmanov. He emphasized that the Belarusian-Japanese Business Association is currently being established, which will promote the implementation of mutually beneficial projects, including in the IT sector. In addition, Sergey Kimovich advised the regional authorities to appoint a person responsible for working with the Japanese side to make joint activities more systematic and effective.
The head of the diplomatic mission arrived in the Vitebsk region together with the 2008 Olympic judo champion, Isii Satoshi, who conducted master classes for local coaches and athletes. As Vladimir Terentyev noted, this is a unique event that testifies to the close friendship between the countries.