King sends letter to Japanese PM as Tokyo braces for bigger global role

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Thursday delivered a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on bilateral relations and keenness to develop them at all levels.

Judeh and Abe expressed keenness to continue coordination and cooperation regarding several regional and international files, especially since  Japan will chair the Group of Seven and was elected as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Both officials discussed efforts exerted to fight terrorism and extremism that, they agreed, are threatening the entire world, where Judeh reiterated the importance of the international community to join efforts to serve this end, stressing that Jordan has always been and will always be at the forefront of these endeavours.

They also tackled efforts exerted to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis according to the Geneva 1 Conference and the envisioned results of the third meeting on Syria in New York on Friday.

Both officials said such a solution is important to end the suffering of the Syrian people and to cease the "catastrophic" human repercussions of the crisis, Petra added.

For his part, the Japanese official expressed appreciation for King Abdullah's endeavours to reach peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.

Abe also voiced his country's keenness to cooperate and coordinate with the Kingdom in different fields that would serve the interests of both countries and peoples, reported Petra.

Also on Thursday, Judeh met with Shinako Tsuchiya, head of the foreign affairs committee at the Diet, and discussed bilateral ties and the latest regional developments, Petra reported.