Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Fernando Valenzuela./ Photo: MAEC
Luis Ayllón. 25/07/2018
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Fernando Valenzuela, underlined during the visit he made last Monday and Tuesday to Tokyo that the recently signed Free Trade Agreement EU-Japan will facilitate to increase exports and investments, thanks to the withdrawal of tariff and non-tariff barriers and a new regulatory framework.
Valenzuela, who participated together with the Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kakuyuki Yamazaki, in the fifth round of Spanish-Japanese political consultations, considers that the agreement is a bet of Japan, the EU and Spain to keep trade as an engine of growth and welfare.
It is estimated that Spain, which is the sixth largest EU exporter to Japan and its second commercial partner, will be among the main beneficiaries of the agreement, since of 1,000 million that will be saved every year by European companies in tariffs, 100 will belong to Spanish companies.
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Secretary of State participated in the fifth round of Spanish-Japanese political consultations
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According to a note from the Diplomatic Information Office (OID), Valenzuela and Yamazaki agreed on the excellent state of bilateral relations in the year of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Madrid and Tokyo, and recalled the trip of the Kings to Japan in April. 2017. In addition, they agreed that the signing in 2013 of the «Association for Peace, Growth and Innovation» has allowed a structured dialogue and significant advances in four major issues: politics and security, economy, science and technology and civil societies.
The Secretary of State also discussed international and regional issues with his Japanese counterpart, with special emphasis on those topics of common interest such as the European Union, China, Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, North Africa, the Middle East and North Korea.
Fernando Valenzuela conveyed the condolences of the Government of Spain for the victims of early July’s torrential rain in Japan, which caused more than 200 deaths and considerable damages.
In addition, the Secretary of State met with the President of Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Shingo Miyake, and held meetings with Spanish businessmen and with the main Japanese media. Finally, the SEAEX took advantage of their stay in Tokyo to visit the Instituto Cervantes’ office.
