Japan-Saudi Arabia Relations

On April 28, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, held a Japan-Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. Minister Kono expressed appreciation for the stable supply of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, and stated that Saudi Arabia’s dynamic reform under “the Saudi Vision 2030” must succeed for the stability and prosperity of Saudi Arabia as well as Japan and the international community. Minister Al-Assaf responded that Japan and Saudi Arabia have close ties, as exemplified from the recent visits to Japan by H.M. King Salman and H.R.H. Crown Prince Mohammed, and expressed his intention to work with Minister Kono to further strengthen the bilateral relationship in a variety of areas. In addition, Minister Al-Assaf expressed expectations that the bilateral cooperation will be promoted through cooperation under “the Japan-Saudi Vision 2030.”
2. Minister Kono, mentioning that Japan will host the G20 Osaka Summit in June 2019, stated Japan’s intention to work closely with Saudi Arabia, which will hold the G20 presidency next year, and to fully cooperate for the success of the G20 Riyadh Summit in Saudi Arabia in 2020. The two ministers shared the view that they will continue to coordinate closely as the presidencies of the 2019 and 2020 G20 Summit.
3. Minister Kono expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s kind support at a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on April 26 by stating that Japanese food products are safe.
4. The two ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East, the North Korean situation, including the abductions issue, the situation in East Asia, among other matters.