On April 26, 2023, State Minister Takei Shunsuke, who has been visiting to Djibouti to lead the evacuation of Japanese citizens and others, met separately with Ali Hassan, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti, Jonathan Goodale Pratt, U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti, and Dana Purcarescu, Ambassador of the French Republic to Djibouti. The overview of the meetings is as follows.

Meeting with Mr. Mohamed Ali Hassan, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti

At the beginning of the meeting, regarding the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, State Minister Takei stated that all of those Japanese citizens and their spouses and children in Khartoum who had requested to leave the city as of the 24th has successfully evacuated and that this operation could not have been completed without the full cooperation of Djibouti and he expressed his gratitude for the cooperation. Mr. Hassan, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti, stated that he is pleased that the evacuation operation was a success and the Japanese people were safely evacuated, and that we are honored that the SDF base in Djibouti played an important role in the operation.

State Minister Takei also expressed his hope for a strong leadership in mediation by President Guelleh, who, has influence over the parties to the conflict as a force for stability in the Horn of Africa.

Both sides affirmed their commitment to continue deepening Japan-Djibouti relations toward regional peace and stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Meeting with Ambassador of the United States of America to Djibouti and Ambassador of the French Republic to Djibouti

State Minister Takei expressed his gratitude for the cooperation of the United States and France in evacuating Japanese citizens and their spouses and children, and confirmed that he would continue to work closely with like-minded countries and the international community to stabilize the situation and to support transition to civilian rule in Sudan.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.