Tokyo: Japan is making arrangements to launch “strategic dialogue” at the foreign minister level with Saudi Arabia, Japanese government sources said Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday and is expected to agree on the new initiative with the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Japanese government is also considering holding regular foreign ministers’ meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council, formed by six nations in the Middle East. The GCC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, was set up for regional coordination and cooperation in defense, economic and other fields.

Kishida will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for a total of four days from Sunday.

The prime minister plans to seek to ensure stable energy supplies to Japan during his planned talks with leaders of the three Middle Eastern nations, as Japan depends on the Middle East for much of energy it consumes, including crude oil. Saudi Arabia accounts for around 40 pct of Japan’s crude oil imports.

JIJI Press