Press Releases
Courtesy Call on the President of Palestine by State Minister for Foreign Affairs TSUJI Kiyoto
February 28, 2024
On February 28, commencing at 1 a.m. (local time, 27, 6:00 p.m. JST) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. TSUJI Kiyoto, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, paid a courtesy call to H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, during his visit to Palestine. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, State Minister TSUJI extended his gratitude to President Abbas for his letter of sympathy and condolences to Prime Minister KISHIDA on the Noto Peninsula earthquake and the airplanes collision at the Haneda Airport. He also expressed his sympathy for the civilian casualties and hardships in the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
- Regarding the situation surrounding Israel and Palestine, State Minister TSUJI stated that he is concerned about the increasing violence by settlers and others in the West Bank. On the situation surrounding the Gaza Strip since the terror attack by Hamas and others occurred last October, he also stated that Japan has been persistently making diplomatic efforts towards calming down the situation as soon as possible, and also has been providing a series of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. He also stated that it is necessary to ensure a conducive environment for sufficient humanitarian assistance activities.
- In response, President Abbas expressed his appreciation for Japan’s long-standing assistance for Palestine including the recently announced additional humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, and stated that he hopes Japan will continue to play its role.
- On the Middle East Peace, State Minister TSUJI stated that Japan’s consistent support for a two-state solution will remain unchanged, stressing the necessity to concert efforts to achieve it. For his part, President Abbas explained the situation surrounding Palestine-Israeli relations, and highly valued Japan’s commitment to the Middle East Peace.
- Both sides concurred on continuing close cooperation in order for the stability in the region.