Japan PM Arrives in Qatar on Final Leg of Gulf Tour 

13 July 2023, Belgium, Brussels: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference after Japan-EU Summit. (European Council/dpa)
13 July 2023, Belgium, Brussels: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference after Japan-EU Summit. (European Council/dpa)
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Japan PM Arrives in Qatar on Final Leg of Gulf Tour 

13 July 2023, Belgium, Brussels: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference after Japan-EU Summit. (European Council/dpa)
13 July 2023, Belgium, Brussels: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference after Japan-EU Summit. (European Council/dpa)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for the final leg of a Gulf tour.

Kishida is expected to hold talks with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Minister of State for Energy and QatarEnegy's chief executive Saad Al Kaabi.

Kishida was greeted at the airport by Minister of Economy and Industry Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported.

His visit reflects the keenness of the Qatari and Japanese leaderships to strengthen and develop bilateral relations and push them towards broader horizons.

They are also keen on bolstering cooperation and coordination for the benefit of the two countries and their friendly peoples, and in the interest of international peace and stability, said QNA.

Qatar and Japan share decades of fruitful partnership and constructive relations. They established diplomatic ties in 1971.

Mutual visits by senior officials have helped develop and expand these ties.

Sheikh Tamim visited Tokyo in September 2022 to attend the funeral of late PM Shinzo Abe. He had previously made trips to Japan in 2015 and 2019.

The agreements and memorandums of understanding signed between Qatar and Japan, and the joint declaration regarding the establishment of a strategic dialogue mechanism, reflect the sincere desire to strengthen bilateral relations and encourage continuous cooperation in all fields.

Qatar and Japan have focused primarily on economy, trade and energy. However, their relations began to expand in recent years to include broader domains such as politics, security, defense, investment, education, health, scientific and medical research, science and technology, tourism, infrastructure development, and the development of Human resources and training of cadres.

Kishida's Qatar visit follows a stop in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in which Riyadh said it remained committed to securing oil supplies for Japan and would continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.

In Abu Dhabi on Monday, Kishida and UAE leaders agreed to a new scheme to accelerate energy security, as well as a framework for the UAE to invest Japanese chip and battery technology.



Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Efforts to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Stability

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh.(SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh.(SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Efforts to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Stability

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh.(SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh.(SPA)

The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday its support for efforts aimed at achieving security, stability and sustainable development in the region and world.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The ministers reviewed the latest regional and international developments. The government also reviewed the outcomes of the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.

The meeting demonstrated the two countries' commitment to strengthening relations and pursuing shared goals in various sectors, to the benefit of their people.

The cabinet was briefed on the telephone calls Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, held with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the calls, Crown Prince Mohammed underlined the Kingdom's commitment to unifying Arab and Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian people, stressing the need to exert all efforts to halt the Israeli escalation and violations.

The cabinet was also briefed on the message sent by the Crown Prince to the prime minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and on his meeting with the president of the European Council.

Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the several international meetings the Kingdom attended as part of its commitment to increasing cooperation and coordination with brotherly and friendly nations, and advancing multilateral efforts to achieve progress and prosperity.

Al-Dossary emphasized that the 50th anniversary of the Saudi Fund for Development marks a significant milestone that highlights the fund's expanding global role, numerous accomplishments, and invaluable contributions to fostering development and prosperity in less developed and developing countries.

Domestically, the cabinet deemed the two Royal Decrees reconstituting the Council of Senior Scholars and the Shura Council as further evidence of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' unwavering support for the Council of Senior Scholars and his commitment to selecting Shura Council members from among highly qualified individuals with diverse expertise who can continue to serve religion and the nation.