Riyadh – As part of their first meeting for a strategic discussion, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa held a signing ceremony on Thursday in Riyadh.
In accordance with the strategic dialogue agreement formed in July between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Hayashi and Prince Faisal began their meeting by signing a memorandum.
At the meeting, Hayashi said that Japan places a high value on strategic alliances with Saudi Arabia and that it wants to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a variety of areas as well as on the global stage.
The two foreign ministers concurred that bilateral ties would be guided by the strategic conversation.
Hayashi reaffirmed his desire to keep advancing relationships and gaining from current structures. Prince Faisal responded by reiterating the Kingdom’s support for developing ties with Japan.
Hayashi also suggested organising an administration level policy planning meeting to discuss shared problems and foreign affairs.
The plan was accepted and backed by Prince Faisal.
Hayashi spoke about Japan’s recent move to make it easier to issue multiple entry visas to Saudi nationals who want to travel to the Asian nation. Prince Faisal approved of the choice.
The two officials emphasised their desire to put into action specific cooperative initiatives in order to realise the goal of making the Middle East a major source of clean energy and essential minerals for the world.
Regarding the most recent release of treated water into the ocean, Hayashi reiterated Japan’s viewpoint while making reference to the assessment made in the full report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Prince Faisal responded by saying that Saudi Arabia supports Japan’s initiatives in this regard.
In addressing concerns relating to peace and stability, notably in the Indo-Pacific region, Hayashi also highlighted the need to lead the international community towards cooperation rather than division and conflict, according to a statement from the Japanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
He also underlined Japan’s desire to collaborate closely with Saudi Arabia because both nations value international cooperation and the rule of law.
The two ministers also had an open discussion about the circumstances in the Middle East and East Asia and decided to keep cooperating to bring about peace and stability in the two areas.
Prince Faisal also affirmed his support for Japan’s stance on North Korea.
Hayashi is in Saudi Arabia to take part in the first GCC-Japan summit, which will talk about commerce, investments, and issues with global security.
He also had meetings with the foreign ministers of Bahrain (Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani), Oman (Sayyid Badr Albusaidi), and Kuwait (Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah).
On Thursday, the Japanese foreign minister is scheduled to meet with other GCC leaders several times to discuss ways to improve ties between the Gulf and Japan.
