Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations
Japan-Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
September 19, 2016
On September 19, from at 8:00 p.m. for approximately an hour and a half, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a Japan-Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting over dinner with H.E. Mr. Adel Ahmad Al-Jubeir, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The overview is as follows.
- Minister Kishida extended his gratitude to Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir for the invitation to dinner and stated that he was pleased to have opportunity to talk to Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir again in New York, following the nearest meeting in Tokyo, and that he hoped to realize cooperation in wide-ranging fields in the future based on the outcomes of the recent visit to Japan by H.R.H. Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,. Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir stated that Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed’s visit to Japan produced significant results, so it would be important to maintain the momentum.
- With regard to following up with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed’s visit to Japan, Minister Kishida stated that he hoped to pursue the realization of cooperative projects at the “Japan-Saudi Joint Group for Vision 2030” that will be held in Riyadh next month. Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir replied that Saudi Arabia views Japan as its strategic partner for implementing Vision 2030 and that it would be important to develop cooperation in a concrete manner. The two foreign ministers also shared the view that they would work together toward the issuing of multiple-entry visas in order to vitalize people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
- The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the situation in East Asia, including North Korea, as well as the situation in the Middle East, including countering violent extremism such as ISIL, the situations in Syria and, Yemen and Middle East peace process. They shared the view that it was important for Japan and Saudi Arabia to pay attention to regional affairs surrounding each country.