Excellency Dr. Giorgis Tesfamichael, Minister of National Development;
Excellency Mr. Toshihisa Takata, Ambassador of Japan to the State of Eritrea;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me first express the Ministry of Foreign Affair's appreciation to the Japanesedelegation led by H.E. Toshihisa Takata for coming to discuss with the Eritrean
counterpart issues of economic cooperation between our two countries. The Ministry ofForeign Affair's appreciation also goes to the Ministry of National Development ingeneral and to H.E. Minister Ghiorgis for arranging this meeting.
I would like also to thank the Government of Japan for their continuous support to thedevelopment endeavors of Africa in general and to the state of Eritrea in particular,
despite the extensive destruction caused by the March Tsunami and Earthquake. Again I
would like to convey our sincere sympathy and condolences to the Government ofJapan and to the bereaved families.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is happy to see the convening of this Economic
Cooperation Policy Cooperation Policy Consultation. I feel also honoured to take part inthis meeting representing the Ministry. Furthermore, I am pleased to highlight very
briefly the Government of Eritrea's policy in the areas of International economic
cooperation.
Eritrea is a small, poor and young nation which emerged from the ashes of a very longstruggle for freedom and a bitter war waged to defend its sovereignty from Ethiopian
aggression of 1998-2000.
Eritrea is one of the 48 LDC's of the world. To make matters worse, this country is often
hit by cyclical droughts. It is located in a very strategic part of Africa and in a volatile,
hostile regional environment. But it enjoys internal peace and harmony.
It goes without saying that, for these and many other reasons, Eritrea welcomesInternational economic cooperation and it wants Japan to be one of its most importantpartners in development.
Despite threats and challenges, the people and the government of Eritrea are focused ondevelopment. Eritrea aspires to become a self-reliant prosperous country. TheGovernment of Eritrea's priority of priorities is the improvement of the standard of living of
its people.
The Government and the people of Eritrea have always been committed to theirobjectives through hard work and mainly through self reliance which by no means istantamount to self-isolation or rejection of support and genuine partnership.

The results of their efforts in many areas are impressive and particularly in foodsecurity, health, education and infrastructure are remarkable, especially if one takes into
account that they have been achieved in a very adverse regional and internationalenvironment.
According to our policy, international economic cooperation should be>> Based on partnership and not in donor-recipient relationship;> Respectful of mutual values, dignity and sovereignty;> Geared more towards trade and investment, which are the cornerstone of its
development strategy, rather than ODA or aid;
> That there must not be strings or preconditions attached to it that jeopardize
political independence;> Foreign Policy of Eritrea encourages economic cooperation to be handled
bilaterally than through multilateral organizations. This is because
directeconomic cooperation between two friendly nations shortens bureaucracy andenhances transparency.
> Our policy also encourages broad based and integrated economic cooperation
made with the countries of our region.
Finally, I would like to draw to your attention that the Government of Eritrea and its
Foreign Policy attaches strong importance to Foreign Direct Investment, Trade, andpartnership not aid. And in line with this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects thispolicy consultation to include issues of future investment and trade opportunities
between Eritrea and Japan.

Thank you!