Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the Signing of Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in South Sudan

TOKYO, Japan, January 27, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- 1. Japan welcomes that the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in South Sudan was signed under the mediation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 23 (local time). Japan also highly appreciates the efforts made by the neighboring countries in order to reach this agreement.

2. Japan calls for all of the parties to this agreement to steadily implement its stipulations, and expects all of the parties of South Sudan to work toward improving the humanitarian situation in that country, consolidating peace, and engaging in national reconciliation and stable nation building.

3. Japan intends to continue to conduct necessary assistance for the stability of South Sudan, including activities by the Japanese Self Defense Forces in the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), in cooperation with related countries and international organizations such as the United Nations and the African Union.