Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivan Mrkic received today a farewell call on him by the Japanese Ambassador to Belgrade, HE Mr Toshio Cunozaki.

Minister Mrkic thanked Ambassador Cunozaki for his exceptional personal efforts that he had put during his tenure in Belgrade into the overall development of relations and cooperation between Serbia and Japan. Special gratitude was owed to Ambassador Cunozaki because it was during his mission that Japan extended, for the first time ever to Serbia, a loan on preferential terms that were more favourable than the market ones, for the purposes of Nikola Tesla thermal power plant. The obtained funds enabled the implementation of an investment project that would be beneficial to the Republic of Serbia in many ways, both environmentally and in terms of creation of new jobs. During Ambassador Cunozaki's term in Belgrade, a visa requirement was waved off for the travel of Serbian citizens to Japan. President of the Republic of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic invested Ambassador Cunozaki into the Order of the Serbian Flag, second degree, for his merit to an excellent bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Ambassador Cunozaki pointed out that the good relations between Japan and Serbia had been significantly improved thanks to the efforts made by both sides. He singled out in particular the gratitude of the people and Government of Japan for the assistance rendered and sympathies offered in the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake and the ensuing Tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. He said that he cherished fond memories of the time spent in Serbia; in particular he was grateful for the high honour conferred on him by President Nikolic. He also underscored the great importance that the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Minister Mrkic himself, as a great friend of the Japanese people and the first Serbian Ambassador to Japan, had attached to the promotion of Serbia-Japan relations.