Japan-United Arab Emirates Relations

On September 19, from 4:35 p.m. (NY time) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs held a foreign ministers’ meeting with H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The overview of the meeting is as follows. 

1. Foreign Minister Abdullah stated that Japan is an important friend of the UAE, and highly appreciated the progress made in the cooperation in the education and other fields. Foreign Minister Abdullah added that he intends to make continuous efforts to deepen the relationship in a wide range of fields. Minister Kono responded that he is happy to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Abdullah for the first time, and stated that the UAE holds the largest Japanese community in the Middle East and North Africa region while emphasizing the importance of the UAE as a partner to Japan. He further stated that he intends to strive to further advance the bilateral relationship, including in the defense field.
2. The two ministers exchanged their views on the situation in East Asia. With regard to North Korea, Minister Kono highly appreciated recent unanimous adoption of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution which includes exceptionally strict measures. He emphasized the importance of full implementation of the relevant UNSC resolutions. Furthermore, he stated that there is a need to put stronger pressure than ever on North Korea. Foreign Minister Abdullah responded that the UAE stands with Japan, and fully supports Japan’s position. Furthermore, with regard to the issue of North Korean workers in the UAE, Minister Kono requested that the UAE for steps such as limiting the number of work permits. In response, Foreign Minister Abdullah expressed his understandings on this issue.