GCC Foreign Ministers meet with Foreign Minister of Japan

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, chaired the Gulf representation at a meeting held today in Riyadh at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) between the Foreign Ministers of the countries of the GCC, the GCC Secretary General and Yoshimasa Hayashi, Foreign Minister of Japan,

In his opening speech, Sayyid Badr spoke of the importance of joint, multilateral, international action in facing global challenges.

He said he had confidence in the capabilities of the participating countries to take additional steps to strengthen the distinguished relations between the GCC countries and Japan.

He added that Japan is an important partner and friend and has great influence on the regional and international arenas.

Oman's Foreign Minister said he hoped the GCC would continue to expand its deep partnership with Japan, especially in the areas of tourism, energy and technology.

A statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Mr Hayashi spoke of Japan’s vision for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) which aims to lead the world toward cooperation rather than division and confrontation. To read the full statement click here.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was agreed to resume negotiations over a free trade agreement between the GCC countries and Japan and a joint action plan for the period 2024-2028 was approved.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.