Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi told Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister of Bahrain, of his expectation for the development of concrete cooperation between enterprises under frameworks such as the Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, Japan’s Foreign Ministry reported.

Iwaya and his Bahraini counterpart Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani held the first meeting under this agreement earlier this month and the Japanese Foreign Minister said he hoped to further strengthen relations with Bahrain.

Iwaya noted the nearly 100 years of friendship between the two countries and that the relationship has expanded beyond the energy sector to a wide range of areas, such as politics and security, the environment, information and communication technology, space, and culture. 

In their meeting in Tokyo on Friday, Iwaya and Prince Salman also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, including Gaza. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of realizing a “two-state solution” for Palestine and resolving conflicts through dialogue. 

They also reaffirmed the critical importance of maritime security and agreed to continue close coordination on such matters.

The Crown Prince stated that he was pleased that concrete projects of cooperation are developing between the public and private sector and expressed his hope to continue close cooperation with Japan.

Later in the day, Prince Salman held a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru at the Prime Minister’s Office. There was an honor guard ceremony before a signing of bilateral agreements and a dinner hosted by the Japanese Prime Minister.