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S. Abe: Address to World Summit 2022, Summit for Peace Assembly & One Million Rally
Written by H.E. Shinzo Abe, prime minister of Japan (2006-2007, 2012-2020)
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Address to World Summit
February 11-13, 2022
The keynote address from H.E. Shinzo Abe, former prime minister of Japan, was read by Dr. Yun Young-ho, co-chair of the Executive Committee of the World Summit 2022 and director general of UPF.
I am the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Greetings to everyone attending the 2022 Summit for Peace on the Korean Peninsula. I would like to express my deepest gratitude and respect to the founder of UPF, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. And, I would also like to thank Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the co-chairs of this Summit.
The world is still troubled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, we are facing a dangerous situation where confrontation, segregation and conflict are taking place on all levels throughout the world. These difficulties are bringing about new levels of military threats and political changes at unfathomable speeds. The Korean Peninsula, in particular, is in a geopolitical position that is bound to be influenced by neighboring countries, and due to its division, is bound to be greatly impacted. So, it is now time for us to have an attitude of respect towards each other's traditions and cultures, consider the value of freedom and democracy, and believe in the hope of what those values will bring. It is, if ever more, the right time to bear in our hearts the words of Winston Churchill, who said: “Never despair”.
So, I have great trust in the word hope. On April 29, 2015, I gave a speech entitled, “Toward an Alliance of Hope,” at a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress’s House of Representatives. I spoke of a desperate need for hope for the present and future of Japan and the United States—which had fought tooth and nail [in the past century]—and for the future of the world. I was present at the signing of the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration in Pyongyang during the Japan-North Korea Summit on September 17, 2002. The declaration stipulated the resolution of various problems between Japan and North Korea, the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and Japan's economic support.
It also detailed problems related to nuclear weapons, missiles and kidnapping that needed to be resolved between our two nations. I believe such honest dialogue among world leaders in this Summit, which can serve as a venue for sincere discussions, can open up new paths for peaceful reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.
Thank you.
To go to the World Summit 2022 Schedule page, click here.