(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said during an official visit to Oman starting on Thursday. Abe will be accompanied by his wife Akie on what will be the first prime ministerial visit from Japan to Oman in 24 years, according to a statement issued by the Japanese Ambassador.
''I am absolutely delighted to note that Prime Minister Abe's visit underscores how important the Sultanate of Oman is to Japan,'' Ambassador George Hisaeda said. ''Prime Minister Abe will meet with His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to discuss a wide range of bilateral and international issues of common concern.''
During the visit, the Prime Minister's wife is also expected to visit Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) where she will meet with Dr Rawiya bint Saud al Busaidiyah, Minister of Higher Education; Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed bin Nassir al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education; and Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of SQU, as well as women students and women who play an active role in various fields in Oman.
Ambassador Hisaeda expressed the hope that Abe's visit will 'further cement' bilateral relations and that it would prove to be 'highly fruitful'.
''Japan and Oman enjoy a longstanding, robust and deeply-rooted relationship that dates back centuries. Recent bilateral relations are built upon a solid foundation of a trusted trade partnership as well as cultural exchange over the past few decades,'' the statement said.
Referring to the common fight against piracy, Ambassador Hisaeda said, ''Japan and Oman are also witnessing an increased level of mutual cooperation in the field of maritime security and counter-piracy, in addition to the strong economic and political relations between the two countries.''
Welcoming more investment from his country to Oman, the Ambassador said, ''The volume of exports to Japan from Oman in 2012 was around US$5.6bn. Japan is one of Oman's largest importers of oil and natural gas. The volume of imports from Japan to Oman in 2012 was around US$2.9bn. There is substantial Japanese corporate investment in Oman's large Independent Power Projects (IPP) Sohar 2 IPP, Barka 3 IPP and Sur IPP as well as Al Ghubrah Independent Water Project (IWP).''
Ambassador Hisaeda also thanked Oman for its contribution to Japan's earthquake relief fund, saying, ''Oman was ranked fourth in the list of top donors of relief funds, after the USA, Taiwan and Thailand. The Sultanate donated an incredibly generous amount of some US$11mn to
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