House of Councillors hosts dinner for ASEAN Ambassadors in Tokyo
Ambassador Lopez (3rd from right) joins other ASEAN Ambassadors in a dinner hosted by House of Councillors President Takeo Nishioka (5th from right) along with other members of the House of Councillors.
In his capacity as current Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Tokyo (ACT), Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez expressed appreciation to House of Councillors President Takeo Nishioka for hosting a dinner on 14 July 2011 at the latter’s Official Residence. During the dinner, the ACT Ambassadors had the opportunity to interact with key members of the House of Councillors including Vice President Hidehisa Otsuji, Chairman of the Special Committee on Official Development Assistance (ODA) Hirohiko Nakamura, and members of the Special Committee on ODA.
Ambassador Lopez reiterated ASEAN’s sympathy, solidarity, and support for the Government and people of Japan in their recovery efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. He also expressed confidence that Japan will be able to overcome the challenges posed by the recovery efforts.
He also stressed the importance of the comprehensive and multi-faceted ASEAN-Japan relations in the political, socio-cultural, and economic fields. He cited the signing of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership and lauded Japan’s significant contributions to regional financial and cooperation through support for initiatives such as the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) and the Asian Bonds Market Initiative (ABMI).
President Nishioka thanked ASEAN for the support and assistance that it extended to Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. He said that ASEAN countries are the closest and most important neighboring countries to Japan, particularly in the areas of trade and economic partnership agreements. He encouraged the open and active exchange among the ASEAN Ambassadors and the members of the House of Councillors on issues of mutual interest and concern.
Ambassador Lopez delivers his remarks as current Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Tokyo before ACT and House of Councillors members.
