Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has met with the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Kenji Yamada during his working visit to Azerbaijan.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted the completion of the construction of the "Shimal-2" power station as a milestone event, and underlined the attendance of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev the opening ceremony of this station as an indicator of his confidence in the relations between the two countries.

Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Kenji Yamada extended his congratulations on the launch of the “Shimal-2” power station and stated that participation of the Azerbaijani head of state in the opening ceremony was highly appreciated by their side.

Kenji Yamada highlighted the strategic location of Azerbaijan and noted that along with the oil sector, Azerbaijan’s recent attention to the non-oil sector has been viewed by their side as an important opportunity for developing bilateral economic relations. Referring to the first round of negotiations between Japan and Azerbaijan on the “Agreement on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments”, Kenji Yamada stressed the significance of continuation of these negotiations in terms of developing economic relations between the two countries.

Minister Elmar Mammadyarov hailed the existing bilateral and multilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Japan, and stressed the importance of further strengthening the bilateral ties. In this regard, Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized the significance of developing relations in the tourism sector between Azerbaijan and Japan.

The sides also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation within international organizations, as well as the other issues of mutual interest.