DUBAI: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida received a courtesy call from Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Al-Safadi on Tuesday. At the outset, Kishida welcomed Al-Safadi’s visit to Japan and stated that the Asian country attaches great importance to the strategic partnership with Jordan. In response, Al-Safadi expressed gratitude for various assistance provided by Japan, and stated that Jordan values traditional friendship with Japan and hopes to continue to develop bilateral relationship in a wide range of areas. Kishida referred to the third Japan-Jordan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue that was held March 13, and both sides concurred that the two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation in various fields including politics, economy and security. On Middle East Peace, Japan’s PM expressed his appreciation for various diplomatic efforts by Jordan, and the two sides shared their concern about the current situation in Israel and Palestine, where tensions remain high, and confirmed that they will continue to work together toward the realization of a “two-state solution.” The two sides also discussed regional developments, including in East Asia and Ukraine, and confirmed that they would work together in dealing with North Korea, including on the abductions issue. • This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan