Arab League Sec-Gen Calls for Strengthening Arab-Japanese Collaboration across Diverse Sectors

Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab League Sec-Gen Calls for Strengthening Arab-Japanese Collaboration across Diverse Sectors

Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasized the importance of expanding the Arab-Japanese partnership and transforming it into a future strategic alliance with tangible outcomes across various sectors.
During his speech at the fifth Japan-Arab Economic Forum in Tokyo, Aboul Gheit called for the expansion of partnership mechanisms to encompass new areas, including leveraging technology to address climate change, mitigating disaster risks, advancing smart transportation, promoting tourism, ensuring information security, advancing artificial intelligence, smart housing, and education. These areas present promising investment and cooperation opportunities between the two sides, SPA reported.
He highlighted that this forum serves as a foundation for enhancing collaboration in other domains, building upon the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Arab League and the Japanese government in 2013, which established a comprehensive institutional framework for Arab-Japanese collaboration. Additionally, the launch of political dialogue in 2017 aimed to exchange views on the latest international developments and crises.
Aboul Gheit underscored that Japan remains a crucial partner for Arab countries, with bilateral trade increasing from $114 billion in 2022 to nearly $140 billion since the beginning of 2024.
He reaffirmed the Arab League's readiness to discuss and implement ideas and initiatives that enhance the role of this forum in collaboration with Arab organizations, specialized ministerial councils, and all Arab and Japanese partners. He expressed confidence that the forum will yield results, generate ideas, and propose initiatives that strengthen Arab-Japanese economic cooperation.



6 Killed in Israeli Drone Strike in Lebanon Near Eastern Border with Syria

Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
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6 Killed in Israeli Drone Strike in Lebanon Near Eastern Border with Syria

Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)

Six people were killed and two injured in Lebanon on Saturday in an Israeli drone strike in the area of Janata near the eastern border with Syria, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck “Hezbollah operatives” who “were operating in a strategic weapons manufacturing and storage site” belonging to the group.

Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes on what it says are Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon since the implementation of a ceasefire agreement in late November that ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The ceasefire document stipulates that both Israel and Lebanon maintain the right to act in “self defense” but does not define what qualifies as self defense.

The original 60-day deadline for implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement expired in late January, but Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend it until Feb. 18.