[30/10/2024 05:53]

RIYADH - SABA
Member of the Presidential Leadership Council Sheikh Othman Mujali, met Wednesday with the Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister and Deputy Director-General for the Middle East and Africa at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hirofumi Miyaki, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Japanese Embassy in Yemen, Kazuhiro Higashi, and the official in charge of the Yemen file at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenoshita Tohru.

During the meeting, they discussed the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and the prospects for their development.
Mujali praised Japan's developmental role and support for the Yemeni people, noting that Japan has clear footprints throughout Yemen and numerous projects in various fields.

"We need to secure maritime passages now and in the future, and it is our collective responsibility to protect the movement and freedom of global trade in international waters and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea," he said.

He emphasized the necessity of cooperation to curb the ambitions of the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group.
Mujali pointed to Iran's destructive role in Yemen and the region, threatening maritime navigation by empowering the Houthi militia and providing it with advanced weapons and quality ballistic missiles to attack ships.

He explained that these hostile actions threaten the interests of the region, the world, and East Asian countries, including Japan, as it is the largest oil importer in East Asia.
For his part, the Japanese Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister expressed his country's supportive stance for legitimacy, humanitarian assistance, capacity building, and training human resources, reflecting the depth of Yemeni-Japanese relations.

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