DUBAI: Riyadh will host a meeting between Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers and their Japanese counterpart Hayashi Yoshimasa on Sept. 7.
The meeting, which is being held as part of the 157th Gulf Ministerial Council, will discuss a free trade agreement and cooperation on renewable energy sources. Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that Iran’s nuclear program may also be discussed.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi will chair the session, and Hayashi will give a briefing in the presence of Jassim Al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC Council.

The ministerial council is composed of the foreign ministers of all the GCC member states or other ministers deputizing for them.
The GCC is composed of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Sept. 7 meeting comes after Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio toured the Gulf region in July.
During the tour, he stressed the importance of Japan’s “strategic” partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has witnessed steady growth over the years to include many sectors besides oil.

This story was first published in Arab News Japan