Meeting set with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Two nations have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative DUBAI: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s upcoming trip to the UAE and his planned meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is expected to see the two nations forge stronger ties. Kishida’s Gulf tour, which includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is also set to strengthen cooperation in various fields between the GCC and Japan. The Asian nation relies on the GCC for oil. The UAE was the top supplier in May with approximately 33 million barrels, or 43.4 percent of Japan’s total oil imports. The UAE and Japan have been developing a strategic partnership to achieve sustainable economic growth. In June, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of foreign affairs, visited Japan and met with the prime minister. It was their first meeting in six years. During the meeting, Kishida stated that Japan wanted to strengthen cooperation with the UAE under the two nations’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative. Sheikh Abdullah stated that the UAE attaches great importance to the rule of law and wanted to work with Japan on various matters including cooperation in the UN Security Council. The foreign minister also met with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi during his trip and exchanged views on the principles of the UN Charter, cooperation in defense, Ukraine, and various challenges in the Middle East, East Asia and North Korea. The two countries’ strategic partnership was also discussed in June, when Sheikh Abdullah met with Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry. During the meeting in Tokyo, they reviewed opportunities for cooperation in the investment and trade sectors. They also discussed bilateral cooperation in energy and ways to tackle climate change, in the context of the UAE’s preparations to host COP28 this year at Dubai Expo City. The minister of foreign affairs also met with several Emirati students studying in Japan and said the government would continue to support them to achieve academic excellence. Sheikh Abdullah told the students that they were ambassadors for the UAE, which required them to reflect the nation’s values, customs and traditions. Four panel discussions were held with the students as part of the meeting, on diverse topics including strategic relations and the UAE’s future economic plans and initiatives. Among those who addressed the students were Saeed Mubarak Al-Hajri, assistant minister for economic and trade affairs; Omran Sharaf, assistant minister for advanced sciences and technology affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Maha Barakat, assistant minister of foreign affairs for health; and Shehab Ahmed Al-Fahim, the UAE’s ambassador in Japan.The students said they were grateful for receiving support that would enable them to complete their studies and help develop the nation. • This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan