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 FM Holds Separate Phone Calls with His Moroccan, Indonesian Counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
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Saudi FM Holds Separate Phone Calls with His Moroccan, Indonesian Counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held a phone conversation on Monday with Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita.
The two officials discussed the latest developments concerning the Palestinian issue and the Arab and Muslim countries’ endeavor to achieve an immediate cessation of all Israeli violations, and support the establishment of a secure and stable Palestinian state in accordance with relevant international laws, SPA reported.

He also held talks over the phone with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.
The two officials reviewed recent developments in Palestine and efforts exerted to uphold the legitimate rights of the State of Palestine and its people, and emphasized the need for increased cooperation to prevent the ongoing Israeli violations of international humanitarian laws.