Portugal and Japan take bilateral relations into a strategic partnership

"This isn’t just a vague statement, an expression, it is a commitment to go further in our cooperation on a cultural level, on an economic level, to develop new relationship areas", stated Luís Montenegro at the end of the working meeting with the ceasing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on the first day of his official trip to Japan,

The Head of Government noted the following areas to be developed in the future of the bilateral relations: security and defence, new technologies, energy, and the exchange of scientific knowledge between educational institutions.

"This strategic partnership illustrates a joint willingness to work together, to converge, and to take our political, economic, and cultural relations forward with a positive, efficient purpose and results," he added.

At the meeting at Kantei, the Japanese Prime Minister’ official residence, Montenegro thanked Shigeru Ishiba words of solidarity regarding the wildland fires in August and the recent Glória funicular crash, which cause 16 fatalities.

On an economic level, the Prime Minister stressed there are more than one thousand Portuguese companies operating in the Japanese market in areas as different as agriculture, industry, medicine, and energy. With this strategic partnership, he added, new areas of cooperation will emerge, such as civil protection and security and defence.

"We also wish to preserve what has been a common heritage on a cultural and linguistic level. I note the fact there are many Japanese learning Portuguese and in Portugal too there is Japanese language teaching", he noted.

Luís Montenegro also indicated the Osaka exposition he will be visiting on Friday as "a perfect testimony of the scale of our political, cultural, and economic cooperation", praising the event’s success and remarking that the Portuguese Pavilion alone "has had more than 1.4 million visitors".

On an international level, he stressed there is "a huge convergence" of positions with Japan, reiterating the condemnation of Russa "for the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity". Before the Japanese Prime Minister, Montenegro likewise condemned North Korea’s nuclear and ballistics programme.

"I am fully persuaded that this visit will represent a new phase in our relationship, thye start of a strategic partnership that is effectively a new stage to bring more well-being and development to our countries, he stressed.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba recalled that around 120 Japanese companies operate in Portugal and noted that "corporate cooperation in the field of renewables and infrastructure" is still on the rise".

"We expect even greater development in trade relations and investment between both countries", he stated, also showing interest in "contributing to the economic and social development of the Portuguese-speaking countries".