Prime Minister Abe promises aid for the repatriation and
relocation of Myanmar refugees. During her official visit, the Myanmar leader
held bilateral talks to encourage investment and trade between Japan and
Myanmar. The Rohingya crisis has had a negative impact on Myanmar’s economy.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) – The Japanese government "will
give its maximum assistance to help Myanmar build up a democratic country”.
Tokyo highly values Suu Kyi’s efforts “to cope with a difficult agenda,” including
economic reforms and “issues related to Rakhine state,” said Japanese Prime
Minister Shinto Abe at a joint press conference yesterday that wrapped a state
visit to Japan by Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Without directly citing the crisis affecting the Rohingya
Islamic minority, Abe said that the refugee issue poses a "very complex
and grave" problem. He promised aid for the repatriation and the
relocation of refugees in Myanmar.
For her part, Suu Kyi said, “I appreciate the stance of Japan
and also welcome it”, noting that an independent commission, launched in July, has been given
“extensive and powerful authority” to “conduct an effective probe” into human
rights abuse allegations in Rakhine. https://lnkd.in/gErxbSx
Over the previous six days, Suu Kyi took part in the 10th
Mekong-Japan Summit where she held talks to encourage investment and trade
between Japan and Myanmar.
Her visit to Japan began on 5 October. Two days later,
she visited an agricultural plant in the village of Izumizaki (Fukushima
Prefecture) to see how Tokyo deals with rural depopulation. Back in the
capital, the next day she took part in the Myanmar Silk Promotion Event,
organised by the ASEAN-Japan Center.
In Tokyo, Suu Kyi spoke at the Myanmar Investment
Conference "Strengthening the Bond Between Myanmar and Japan"
organised by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
In her speech, she told representatives of 400 Japanese
companies that they can invest in her country with confidence, despite the
ongoing challenges such as the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State. She
stressed the positive changes by her government in favour foreign investments
and provide a better legal framework.
For Myanmar’s civilian government, economic reforms are a
key to complete the country’s democratic transition after sixty years of
isolation under the military dictatorship.
However, Myanmar's economic growth has slowed down due to
a sharp drop in foreign investment (nearly US$ 900 million less over the past
year), as the country's image suffered as a result of the violence against
Muslim Rohingya.
In order to revitalise the tourist sector, the
authorities have launched a programme that allows citizens of Japan, South
Korea, Hong Kong and Macao to enter the country without a visa.
Yesterday morning, Aung San Suu Kyi led the Myanmar
delegation to the international summit chaired by the Japanese Prime Minister,
Shinzo Abe, in the presence of the leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam.
The subject of the discussion was Japan’s "Free and
Open Indo-Pacific Strategy", which aims to offset China’s growing
influence in the region through the latter’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
According to Tokyo, this plan will promote the
development of quality infrastructure in the countries crossed by the Mekong
River.