YEREVAN. – President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on Wednesday received Takao Makino, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The President of Armenia asked the high-level guest to convey to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe his letter, in which the President reiterated Armenia’s readiness to continue to develop Armenian-Japanese relations comprehensively and to elevate them to a qualitatively new level.

In his letter, Serzh Sargsyan mentioned the trusted bilateral relations of the last two decades and based on the solid foundation of friendship, which continue to develop dynamically, and the prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. The President of Armenia also reiterated his invitation to the Prime Minister of Japan to visit Armenia.

For his part, Makino assured President Sargsyan that, along with the letter, he also will convey to the head of the Japanese government the impressions of his trip to Armenia and the resulting approaches aimed at fostering bilateral relations.

In terms of strengthening interstate relations, the interlocutors stressed the importance of high-level visits. In this regard, they underscored the meetings held within the framework of President Sargsyan’s official visit to Japan last year and the ensuing agreements.

The parties noted with satisfaction the cooperation between Armenia and Japan within the international arena and their reciprocal support on critical matters.

They also spoke about the avenues for expanding Armenian-Japanese cooperation in a variety of domains, including information technology (IT). In this connection, Takao Makino expressed gratitude to President Serzh Sargsyan for endowing Tsugio Makimoto with the 2013 Republic of Armenia Presidential Award, and in recognition of Makimoto’s global contribution to the IT sector.