King meets with Japan’s parliament leaders

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday met with the Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima and the President of the House of Councillors Chuichi Date.

Heads and members of the foreign affairs and defence committees of the two houses attended the meeting, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Discussions addressed strengthening cooperation between Jordan and Japan in the fields of economy, investment, security and parliamentary affairs.

His Majesty commended the level of bilateral relations and Japanese support to the Kingdom, stressing keenness on benefiting from Japanese expertise in various fields.

He underlined the mounting burdens that Jordan is facing as a result of hosting more than 1.3 million Syrians, which has affected host communities and strained the health, education, water and energy sectors. 

The two sides also went over the ongoing regional developments, especially the Syrian crisis and the fight against terrorism.

His Majesty reiterated the importance of reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis to bring an end to the suffering of people and preserve the unity of the country.

For his part, Speaker Oshima said that Japan appreciates Jordan’s role in endeavours to bring about peace and security in the region.

He praised the “great” efforts of the Jordanian government in dealing with Syrian refugee crisis despite the scarce resources. 

He also expressed appreciation for the aid provided by Jordan to the Japanese people after the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011.

For his part, Date expressed his country’s keenness on enhancing bilateral relations and supporting the Kingdom in its endeavours to face challenges.

Date congratulated His Majesty on the 70th anniversary of independence.

On the Jordanian side, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and the Jordanian Ambassador in Tokyo Demiye Haddad attended the meeting.