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 Crown Prince Lauds Trump on Lifting Syria Sanctions

US President Donald Trump attends a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump attends a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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Saudi Crown Prince Lauds Trump on Lifting Syria Sanctions

US President Donald Trump attends a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump attends a group photo session with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised on Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria.

“We commend the decision made yesterday by President Trump to lift the sanctions on the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic, which will alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people,” he said in his opening speech at the GCC-US summit in Riyadh.

The Crown Prince also said that Gulf states were seeking to work with the US to de-escalate tensions in the region.

“We are aware of the magnitude of the challenges facing our region and we strive with you and with our GCC brothers to deescalate tensions in the region and to stop the war in Gaza and to find a permanent and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian crisis,” he said, addressing Trump.

“We stress our support to ending conflicts through peaceful means,” he added.