Activities of Secretary-General in Japan, 26-27 May
On Thursday evening, 26 May, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with Madam Ban Soon-taek, arrived in Nagoya, Japan, from Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea.
Upon arrival, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The Secretary-General thanked the Prime Minister for Viet Nam’s close collaboration with the United Nations and expressed appreciation for Viet Nam’s support to United Nations peacekeeping operations, including its preparations to enhance contributions. They also discussed human rights and regional issues.
He then attended a welcome reception hosted by Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City.
On Friday morning, the Secretary-General transferred from Nagoya to Ise‑Shima, where he attended two outreach sessions of the Group of Seven Summit.
In the first session, dedicated to stability and prosperity in Asia, the Secretary‑General noted the urgent regional challenge posed by the fact that several Asian countries are claiming the same territory and maritime areas.
The Secretary‑General called on all concerned to resolve disputes through dialogue in a peaceful and amicable manner, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, such as the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He also underscored the worrying situation on the Korean peninsula. The Secretary‑General thanked the Group of Seven for their firm stance against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s continuing nuclear activities and called for the full implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions and sanction measures.
In a separate outreach session, the Secretary‑General detailed the priorities ahead for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
On the sidelines, the Secretary‑General met with Prime Minister Peter Paire of Papua New Guinea and welcomed the discussions on referendum preparations on Bougainville’s future status and the target date of 15 June 2019 for the referendum.
From there, the Secretary‑General also spoke by phone with President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus. With reference to recent events in Istanbul, the Secretary‑General reiterated that the United Nation’s policy on Cyprus has not changed. The Republic of Cyprus is the Member State of the United Nations. The bicommunal dialogue that takes place under United Nations auspices aims at reaching a settlement of the Cyprus issue based on relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Secretary‑General returned to the Republic of Korea, arriving in Seoul on Friday evening, 27 May.