Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan is taking a cautious approach before lifting all the sanctions against Syria, or reopening its embassy there, Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi said at a news conference on Friday. 

Despite looking positively at the “serious” steps taken by the transitional government in Syria, including the political dialogue there, the Japanese government is waiting for a comprehensive political solution for national reconciliation there, according to the Foreign Minister.

Japan had strong ties with Syria, especially in the energy sector.

“We appreciate their commitment to continue working towards peace and stability in the future. As a result, we have recently decided to void some of the asset-freezing measures we imposed on Syria, in line with assurances from the international community,” Iwaya said. in reply to a question from Arab News Japan.

Japan, a G7 member, hasn’t fully lifted sanctions against Syria or reopened its embassy there. The Foreign Ministry has also continued to place a level 4 travel warning on the country, which recommends Japanese citizens to evacuate Syria immediately, a policy that is seen as an obstacle to normalize bilateral relations.

Iwaya said the security alert has been made because of information on security and from the perspective of ensuring safety.

The Japanese Foreign Minister stressed it was important to make appropriate judgments based on the overall circumstances and said that Japan has been in contact with officials at various levels and communicated its stance that peaceful and stable intentions are important. He also expressed Japan’s expectations that the Syrian transitional government will cooperate with the international community to realize peaceful and stable transition.