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 Defense Minister Receives Newly Appointed and Promoted Military Officials

Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman receives newly appointed and promoted military officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman receives newly appointed and promoted military officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Defense Minister Receives Newly Appointed and Promoted Military Officials

Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman receives newly appointed and promoted military officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman receives newly appointed and promoted military officials in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received in his office in Riyadh on Monday newly appointed and promoted military officials.

The appointments and promotions were decreed in a Royal Order by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Thursday.

Prince Khalid received Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Ghufaili, who was named Deputy Chief of the General Staff at the rank of lieutenant general, and Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Mutair, who was named Advisor at the Minister of Defense’s Office at the rank of lieutenant general.

He welcomed Major General Fahd bin Hamad Al-Salman, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed Commander of the Joint Forces, and Major General Fahd bin Saud Al-Juhani, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed Chief of Staff of the Land Forces.

Prince Khalid also received Naval Major General Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Hamed Al-Gharibi, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces.

The minister bestowed upon the officials medals of their military ranks, wishing them success in serving their religion and nation.

In return, the officials expressed their appreciation to King Salman and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for entrusting them in their new duties and ranks. They also expressed their gratitude to Prince Khalid.

The medal ceremony was attended by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and other senior officials.