Riyadh (Al Ittihad)
Yesterday, the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Jassim Al-Budaiwi, announced an agreement to hold a Gulf-Japanese meeting at the level of foreign ministers in the coming period.
Al-Budaiwi said in a statement issued by the General Secretariat following Al-Budaiwi’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kshida in Jeddah, that the agreed-upon meeting’s goal is to strengthen the strategic dialogue on the one hand and intensify the multiple aspects of cooperation between the two sides on the other.
Al-Budaiwi stated that the agreement of both sides to hold the joint ministerial meeting reflects the strength of bilateral relations and the desire of the two sides to develop these relations and move them to broader horizons, stressing that the Gulf-Japanese relations are distinguished relations, especially since the two sides have many distinguished economic partnerships, as well as cooperation Common in many aspects.
Al-Budaiwi praised the great role that Japan plays regionally and internationally and its compatibility with the GCC states and its support for them in many issues of concern to the GCC states.
The Gulf Cooperation Council and Japan also announced their resumption of free trade agreement negotiations, by signing the joint statement to resume negotiations.
The Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”, quoted Al-Budaiwi as saying, “This comes in implementation of the directives of the Ministerial Council to conclude free trade agreements with the trade partners of the GCC countries, within the list of priorities that it approved at its session held in June 2022, and Japan is one of the priorities of the Cooperation Council through which it seeks To enhance their strategic, economic, development and investment relations.
Al-Budaiwi expressed the aspirations of the GCC states from this agreement to consolidate trade and investment relations between the two sides, and its role in launching a new era of partnership aimed at providing many opportunities for joint growth for the two business communities, especially in priority sectors.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council added: “This agreement will pave the way for the development of a comprehensive economic framework based on mutual interests, which would establish stronger strategic cooperation, promote innovation, stimulate economic growth, and provide job opportunities on both sides.”
Al-Budaiwi stressed, “The strategic and important relations between the GCC countries and Japan that cover all aspects, most notably the high level of political coordination, cooperation in the field of energy and trade exchange.” The imports of the Gulf countries amount to $22 billion.
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