Japanese Envoy Praises Iran's Anti-Terror Efforts
Speaking with reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Iran's West Azarbaijan Province, Kawamura said Iran and Japan hold common views as for the war on terror.
He termed as "excellent" the bilateral relations between Iran and Japan in all political, cultural, economic and trade spheres and added that the Tehran-Tokyo relations were invariably improving since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Kawamura noted that last year the volume of trade transactions between the two states have reached unprecedented figure of $6 billion which he said was Iran's highest volume of trade transactions with a foreign state.
Japan imported some 25 percent of Iran's oil exports last year and this was also the highest amount of oil purchases by a foreign country from Iran, he explained.
Iranian and Japanese officials are following up negotiations to initiate studies on the new oil fields in Iran, he said while expressing hope that the bilateral talks would produced ideal results.
As for the cultural cooperation, he said currently some 120 Iranian students are studying in Japan thanks to the fellowships granted to them by the Japanese government.
Kawamura, in a meeting earlier with members of the West Azarbaijan Chamber of Commerce, lauded President Mohammad Khatami's domestic economic reforms centered on reducing taxes in the industrial sector, stabilizing forex rates and securing amendments to the foreign investment law.
He cited Iran's economic reforms as "very good signs" of the trend toward industrial development, particularly the country's bid to attract foreign investment.
Recent measures taken by President Khatami's government are good indications of Iran's desire to industrialize and to attract more foreign investment into the country, he noted while lauding the great agricultural, industrial, mineral and tourism potentials of West Azarbaijan as well as its tremendous progress in the areas of agriculture, trade and industry.
He stressed the need to cement "friendly" ties and cooperation with Iran in various fields and to promote more commercial and cultural exchanges between the two sides.