Prime Minister Kishida’s Speech at the Japan-UAE Business Forum
[Provisional translation]
Ladies and Gentlemen, assalam alaikum.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you all for your continued contribution to the development of economic relations between Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE is an important strategic partner for Japan in terms of energy security, and I am delighted that our bilateral relations have made significant progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative (CSPI), including in areas such as start-ups and space, through cooperation at last year’s Dubai World Expo and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The UAE is home to approximately 350 Japanese companies and more than 4,000 Japanese residents. With the introduction of visa exemption measures for general UAE passport holders last year and the launch of new Etihad Airways service to Kansai Airport this year, the flow of people between the two countries is expected to become even more active.
Today, I am accompanied by an economic mission comprising of 29 people from Japanese companies, including CEOs. The dramatic development of bilateral relations to date and in the future would not be possible without the efforts of government and business officials from both countries who are here today.
Today, I met with H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and held discussions with a view to elevating our cooperative bilateral relations to a new level for the next 50 years.
Going forward, we plan to further expand cooperation in the area of advanced technologies, such as clean energy, green materials, semiconductors, batteries and space, as well as in areas such as start-ups, medical and healthcare, education and cultural exchange.
The UAE will host this year’s COP28 (28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). I hope that Japan and the UAE will further strengthen their cooperation and develop a strategic partnership in order to promote a realistic energy transition and accelerate innovation toward the realization of a decarbonized society.
Japan is promoting the “Japan-UAE Innovation Partnership” concept and the “Global Green Energy Hub” concept, which aims to make Middle East, including the UAE, a global hub for clean energy and decarbonization. Let us embark on the “Global Green Journey” where Japan and the UAE will jointly expand to the Indo-Pacific and the entire world.
The Government of Japan will actively support the promotion of investment between the two countries and other challenges, and I hope that leaders in both public and private sectors in the UAE will take advantage of Japan’s strength to achieve economic diversification and industrial development with a view to the next 50 years.
I sincerely hope that this roundtable will be a beneficial opportunity for the further development and prosperity of both Japan and the UAE.
Thank you very much for your attention.
