Romania and Bulgaria are planning to create a series of joint sightseeing routes for Japanese tourists who want to visit the region, announced Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan-Radu Oprea, who met on Wednesday with a Japanese delegation led by Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Shinji Takeuchi. The talks were aimed at deepening bilateral relations between the two states through partnerships and strategic investments in fields such as industry, renewable energy, new technologies and tourism.

"Tourism is perhaps the most satisfying field that I coordinate and I think it is important that we also lay back. I discussed with my Bulgarian counterpart and we intend to create a series of joint routes for Japanese tourists who want to visit the region, so that they have the opportunity to see more than just one country. We have a host of beautiful places in Romania, such as the Danube Delta, which is unique in Europe. Beyond the fact that this is our responsibility as a ministry, promoting Romanian destinations it's also a joy," Oprea said, as cited in a release.

Speaking about the dimension of the Romania - Japan strategic relationship, as well as about the opportunities Romania has to offer to companies interested in investing, Oprea emphasized the important presence of Japanese companies, mainly in the automotive area, pointing out that the Japanese investors already present in Romania are its best promoters, because they can confirm the existence of a favorable business environment.

"Romania benefits from a unique energy mix, a very good geographical position, we have the port of Constanta which gives us access to the Black Sea, we have resources, we have creative minds. We want, just like Japan, to have clean energy and to capitalize on all these resources. We can capture carbon in depleted natural gas reservoirs, produce blue ammonia, we have a tradition in the oil industry, we have offshore legislation, so Romania is the ideal place for investments! The partnership between Romanian and Japanese companies can benefit both sides, because our role is complementary," declared the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.

The Romanian official also suggested other fields of cooperation, such as entrepreneurship, where Romania can already boast technological research ecosystems.

In his turn, Japanese Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Shinji Takeuchi welcomed the strategic partnership between Japan and Romania and declared that it also reflects the rising interest of Japanese investors in Romania. He underscored that his visit to Romania at the head of a delegation of government officials and representatives of 16 companies such as IHI, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mizuho Bank, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Sustech Inc., ENEOS, Marubeni Corporation from sectors such as energy, research and technology, industry, infrastructure and banking, is proof of the growing investment interest in Romania.

Also, Minister Takeuchi reiterated support for Romania's joining the OECD, praised Romania's contribution to the organization of the World Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and invited Minister Stefan-Radu Oprea to participate in this event.

The meeting ended with the signing by the two officials of a joint declaration reaffirming the commitment to strengthen cooperation between the two nations.

According to the statistics mentioned in the cited release, Japan ranks 21st by the amount of foreign investor participation in trading companies with foreign capital. In the first half of 2024, there were 410 trading companies with Japanese capital active in Romania, with a total paid-up capital equal to the equivalent of 430.2 million dollars, and the total volume of trade between Romania and Japan in the same period stood at 619.2 million dollars. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)