Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will embark on Sunday on a tour of the Middle East that will take him to each of Jordan, Israel, Palestine and the United Arab Emirates. Ahead of his trip, he stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance Tokyo places on achieving peace and stability in the region, noting that the energy resources it provides are foundations for prosperity in the world. This will mark his third visit in five years to the UAE and second in three to Jordan, Israel and Palestine. The tour will be aimed at bolstering Japan’s role in the area and achieving joint interests and regional stability. Abe said that he looks forward to bolstering strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi when he meets with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Partnership, said the Japanese PM, will not be limited to the oil field, but renewable energy, defense cooperation, space development and education sectors. On his trip to Amman, he told Asharq Al-Awsat that Jordan is a main partner in the Middle East peace process and it plays a decisive role in achieving peace and stability in the region as part of its commitment towards the Syrian crisis and combating terrorism and violent extremism. Moreover, it is Japan’s main partner in deepening its Middle East diplomacy, he stressed. “I look forward to meeting King Abdullah II once again,” stressed Abe. He acknowledged the Middle East peace process is passing through a “difficult phase, but we will forge ahead firmly with the peace initiative.” Moreover, he said that Japan is determined to contribute to the trust-building process between Israel and Palestine as part of the Middle East peace process. “I will explain these ideas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,” Abe told Asharq Al-Awsat, while underling Tokyo’s commitment to the two-state solution. “We will continue to take a firm stance to support the Palestinian people,” he declared. On Japan’s economic ties with the Middle East, he said that they are not restricted to the energy sector, but they cover trade, financial, infrastructure and industry fields. A delegation of major Japanese businessmen will accompany the premier on his visit to the region. “I expect that this visit will increase the interest of Japanese companies in all of these countries,” Abe said. “They will expand their investments and projects there, transforming the visit into the foundation stone for more bolstering of ties between Japan and the Middle East,” he continued. “I hope this visit will be an opportunity to further deepen the friendship between Japan and the countries of the Middle East,” he added. On the Syrian conflict, he called for an immediate ceasefire and for allowing humanitarian aid to reach the people. “We support the efforts of the international community to resolve the problems through the political process within the framework of the United Nations,” he stressed, while condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria. On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said that there appeared to be no possibility for resuming direct negotiations between the two sides, which came to a halt in 2014. “The situation is still far away from peace,” lamented Abe.