Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon meets with Mr. Koichi Takemasa, State
Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan

Today, (Monday, 30th August), Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon met with
Mr. Koichi Takemasa, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan in
Jerusalem. They discussed the peace process, regional issues and bilateral
cooperation. Mr. Takemasa had earlier met with Foreign Minister Avigdor
Liberman and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, Uzi Arad.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon spoke about the closeness in relations and
friendship between the two countries. "We value Japan's contribution to
peace in our region," Ayalon said. "We hope the direct negotiations
restating this week will be successful. If there is a will on both sides
then there will be progress."

Ayalon referred to the call by the Palestinians for an extension to the
settlement moratorium. "Whoever places the settlements as a precondition is
not serious," Ayalon continued. "Preconditions are not conducive to
successful negotiations and placing the blame on Israel before the
negotiations have even started is extremely unhelpful and damaging for
peace. All sides should arrive at the negotiations with good will."

The Deputy Foreign Ministers also discussed sanctions and the Iranian
nuclear threat. "The threat your region faces from North Korean nuclear
weapons is the same threat that we will face in our region from Iranian
nuclear weapons," Ayalon said to his counterpart. "It is important that
Japan follow the example of the U.S. and the European Union to apply tougher
sanctions on the Iranian regime."

Mr. Ayalon and Mr. Takemasa also discussed bilateral issues like cooperation
and international development. "We would like an exchange of knowledge,"
Ayalon said. "We would also like to couple Japanese know-how with Israeli
expertise, perhaps for the good of third party developing nations."

"If we invest more in cleantech and renewable energy it will not only make
the world cleaner, but safer."

For further details and a picture, please contact me at the details below.

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Mr. Ashley Perry
Media Advisor
Deputy Foreign Minister's Office
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
+972 (0) 50 620 3197
ashley.perry@mfa.gov.il