Courtesy Call from OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha (Summary)
July 16, 2023
[Provisional translation]
On July 16, commencing at 4:59 p.m. local time (10:59 p.m. JST) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, who is visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, received a courtesy call from His Excellency Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary General, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Jeddah. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his high regard for the role of the OIC in addressing various issues including efforts to promote the development and prosperity of the Islamic world and to combat violent extremism in various parts of the world. In response, Secretary General Taha expressed his welcome to Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Saudi Arabia and stated that Japan is a friend that plays an important role in the international community.
- Prime Minister Kishida noted that the Government of Japan appointed Mr. SHIMMURA Izuru, Consul-General of Japan in Jeddah to be concurrently the first Representative of the Government of Japan to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) last May, and expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation between Japan and OIC.In response, Secretary-General Taha appreciated the Government of Japan for the appointment of the Government Representative to the OIC. He also noted that he would like to strengthen cooperation in the areas of poverty alleviation, development, education, the status of women, the situation in Afghanistan, efforts against violent extremism and inter-civilizational dialogue, which represent the relationship between Japan and the OIC.
- Prime Minister Kishida expressed his desire to further strengthen longstanding friendly relations with Islamic countries through cooperation with the OIC, and both sides confirmed that they would continue to develop various cooperation.
