Japan backs Iran’s stabilizing role in region

TOKYO–Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif who is in Tokyo, the third stop in his regional tour of Asian countries, met with Japanese Economy Minister Sekō on Thursday.

“The official relationship between Iran and Japan is 100 years old, however, the unofficial ties between the traders and people of the two countries dates back to more than a thousand years ago,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Thursday morning (local time), in his meeting with Hiroshige Sekō, the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, at the headquarter of the Japanese ministry in Tokyo, according to Mehr News.

At the third leg of his regional tour of Asian countries, the Iranian top diplomat is currently visiting the Japanese capital city of Tokyo in a bid to bolster bilateral ties of economic and political cooperation.

 Voicing goals for his visit to Japan and meeting with Japanese Economy Minister, Mr. Zarif reminded Mr. Sekō that he is accompanied by an economic and scientific delegation from Iranian public and private sectors and added that the current relations can be the basis for more extended cooperation between Iran and Japan.

“Japan can have a better share of the Iranian market at the current state of affairs,” asserted the chief of Iran’s diplomacy after stressing on the vast areas of potential bilateral cooperation between the two countries which, in his opinion, could be activated via more consultation.

The meeting opened by the remarks of the Japanese Minister who hailed the capabilities and potentials of Iran as a big country whose friendly relations with Japan are as old as a millennium.   

“We expect Iran play a more stabilizing role in the region and Japan backs such a cause,” said Mr. Sekō restating that Japan backs the stabilizing trend.

Also, Gholamhossein Shafe’ie, the Head of Commerce Chamber, and Mehdi Karbasian, the Iranian Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, from Zarif’s economic entourage were present in the meeting.

In another event in Tokyo, at a breakfast banquet at the Capitol Hotel of Tokyo, Mr. Zarif shared the table with Parliamentary Friendship Association of Japan. The Iranian top diplomat attended the banquet at the invitation of Masahiko Kōmura the current Vice-President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan.

During the event, the two sides discussed many areas of interest and concern like the expansion of parliamentary relations and the latest developments in the region and at the international theatre.

M.Wassouf