Jordan, Japan review progress in defence cooperation

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Thursday discussed with Japan's Minister of Defence Tomomi Inada cooperation relations concerning defence policies, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Mulki said that these talks were a follow up on His Majesty King Abdullah's 2016 visit to enhance defence cooperation. That includes cooperation in peacekeeping, humanitarian operations, crisis management, fighting terrorism and exchanging expertise, training and joint exercises.

He noted that the memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation between the two countries, which was signed last year during His Majesty's visit to Japan, contributes to the advancement of joint cooperation.

Talks during the meeting dealt with the efforts of the two countries in combating terrorism and the importance of confronting it by all means, including combating extremist thought.  

Mulki expressed his appreciation for Japan's assistance in supporting several projects in Jordan, including defence-related ones.

He invited Inada to visit Jordan to discuss means of enhancing joint military cooperation.

For her part, Inada voiced Japan’s appreciation of King Abdullah, the government and the people of Jordan for their support and solidarity with Japan in the taking of the two Japanese hostages Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa and the efforts exerted by Jordan to release them before they were killed by Daesh in Syria in 2015.

The meeting was attended by the Jordanian ambassador in Tokyo Demiya Haddad and Japan’s envoy to Jordan, Shuinchi Sakurai.

Later in the day, Mulki held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, attended from the Jordanian side by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Planning and Internal Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Finance Minister Omar Malhas, in addition to the two envoys, Petra reported.

Mulki and Kishida discussed the “strategic friendship between Jordan and Japan,” and stressed keenness to enhance at all levels. 

Mulki outlined the challenges facing Jordan as a result of regional instability and refugee influx, underlining the country’s need for support to continue its humanitarian mission “which it carries out on behalf of the international community”.

He also briefed the Japanese top diplomat on Jordan’s efforts to bring about peace and stability to the region, including its endeavours to push for a revival of peace chances between Palestine and Israel. 

Mulki started a working visit to Japan on Wednesday, when he met in Tokyo with Chairman of the Japanese Parliament’s Security Committee Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi among other MPs.

He is scheduled to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other senior Japanese officials over bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region.