Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 29, 2024.
10:46 JST, May 22, 2024
Tokyo (Jiji Press) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed Tuesday to cooperate in building supply chains for clean energy sources such as hydrogen and ammonia.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
The two leaders held a video teleconference after the crown prince postponed his trip to Japan, which was due to start on Monday, due to the health of Saudi King Salman.
During the videoconference, Kishida expressed his desire to work with the crown prince for an early conclusion of a free trade agreement between Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council, composed of Saudi Arabia and five other Middle Eastern countries.
The Crown Prince said he welcomes the resumption of FTA negotiations.
Kishida and the de facto Saudi leader agreed to establish a strategic partnership council, to be chaired by the two, in the hope of strengthening ties between the two countries.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation in the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip.
Kishida showed expectations for Saudi Arabia’s role in stabilizing the crude oil market. The Crown Prince responded that his country remains committed to a stable oil supply.
Also on Tuesday, a forum on cooperation between Japanese and Saudi companies was held in Tokyo.
The event, organized by Japan’s Ministry of Industry and others, saw participants including financial group SBI Holdings Inc. and trader Marubeni Corp., a total of 32 memoranda and contracts.
Industry Minister Ken Saito, who attended the event, said he sensed the enthusiasm from both sides to further strengthen business ties.
