Motegi to visit Middle East next week over Strait of Hormuz
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit Saudi Arabia and Oman next week for talks with his respective counterparts, as Japan seeks to strengthen ties with the Middle Eastern countries to ensure free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Departing Aug. 17 and…
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit Saudi Arabia and Oman next week for talks with his respective counterparts, as Japan seeks to strengthen ties with the Middle Eastern countries to ensure free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Departing Aug. 17 and arriving back on Aug 22, Motegi's visit to the Middle East marks the first by a Japanese foreign minister since the start of the U. S. -Israeli war with Iran on Feb 28. According to the ministry, through the visit, Japan also hopes to do its part to facilitate talks for the United States and Iran to reach a peace deal. Motegi is set to convey Japan's intention to play an active role in the recovery and reconstruction of the Gulf states hit by Iranian retaliatory attacks, and to strengthen their economic resilience. In Saudi Arabia, Motegi and his counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud are expected to discuss the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has become an alternative route for crude oil transport amid the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Motegi is scheduled to meet with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi in Oman to stress the importance of not charging fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman is currently negotiating with Iran over control of the strait. Motegi also plans to meet Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen, who is in Saudi Arabia, to discuss Japanese support for stabilization in Yemen, according to the ministry. © KYODO