TOKYO: Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, on Thursday and stated that he hopes that the relationship between the two countries will become closer in areas such as economy and business, based on the Japan-Bahrain Investment Agreement and other agreements.
Minister Zayani concurred with his statement and said he was pleased to see the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bahrain.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry reported that the two ministers noted the upcoming resumption of visa-free travel from Bahrain to Japan, which had been suspended during the pandemic, and confirmed the early introduction of visa waiver measures for Bahraini diplomatic and official passport holders.
The ministers exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and confirmed that it is essential for the international community to cooperate to ensure that Russia ends its aggression in Ukraine as soon as possible. They also agreed on the need for United Nations reform, including that of the United Nations Security Council.
Hayashi expressed his appreciation for the visit by Minister Zayani to Japan to attend the State Funeral for Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Minister Zayani, expressed his heartfelt condolences on the demise of the former Prime Minister, stating that he was a great leader and left a significant diplomatic legacy, according to the foreign ministry in Tokyo.