EU-President Van Rompuy betuigt telefonisch sympathie aan Japanse premier Naoto Kan wegens verwoestende aardbeving (en)

Herman Van Rompuy i, President of the European Council, today spoke to the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan by telephone to express the concern and support of the European Union following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated Japan last week. The following is a summary of the President's message:

"I should like to express the collective sympathy and solidarity of the 27 EU Member States to the population affected by the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan and our deepest condolences to the Japanese nation.

I would also like to express our admiration for the way the Japanese people are working together to assist one another in the wake of this horrific natural disaster. To be clear Mr. Prime Minister, we have full confidence in the Japanese government's handling of this catastrophe. The immediate response by the Japanese government has saved countless lives.

We stand ready to assist in any way that we can. An EU Civil Protection Assessment and Coordination Team arrived in Tokyo on Saturday to coordinate an operation at EU level, bringing together assistance from different member states.

We stand ready to respond to any further request and would like to ensure you that Europe will do its utmost to assist you in the weeks and months to come.

I also want to stress the importance of the EU-Japan strategic relationship; we are true friends.

Finally, I intend to raise the issue at the European Council this week. I am ready to bring your messages to my colleagues. Let me know how best the EU can assist your country at this very difficult time.

I look forward to seeing you at the EU-Japan summit at the end of May".

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