Participants in the Japan Arab Conference Call for Promoting Economic Cooperation between Both Sides
Posted on
Alexandria—
During "A New Dawn: Arabs looking East" Japan Arab Conference, 20-21 November 2007, participants in the session entitled "Arab-Japanese Economic Partnership" discussed several issues pertaining to economic cooperation between Japan and Arab countries. They examined industrial and production sectors, rather than focusing only on the energy and oil sectors, in addition to discussing increasing investment opportunities between the two sides.
The session included Abdul Moniem Seoudi, Chairman of Seoudi Group, Egypt; Mikio Sasaki, Chairman of Japan Foreign Trade Council Inc., Japan; Sadao Umeda, Chairman of Kajima Corporation, Japan; Abdelaziz Al Towegry, Member of the Saudi Shura Council; and Taissier Suliman Al Radawi, Head of State Planning Commission, Syria. The session was chaired by Shafik Gabr, Chairman, ARTOC Group for Investment and Development, Egypt.
The session discussed economic relations between the Arab world and Japan and the importance of cultural, scientific, and academic cooperation. Participants also reviewed the main elements of building partnership between the Arabs and Japanese, namely: improving trade, increasing Arab investments in Japan, and Japanese investments in Arab countries, and promoting human capabilities.
Participants referred to current cooperation between Egypt and Japan represented in the Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology in Alexandria, scheduled to open in the coming academic year, with the aim to achieve sustainable development in the field of industry and technology in Egypt and the Arab world. They also stressed the need for both parties the Arabs and Japanese to reinforce economic, political, and cultural relations through mutual understanding on all fronts.
In the course of the session, the speakers invited Arab investors to look East, towards Japan in specific to build a new model for the relation between the two sides. They affirmed that the Middle East has an important geo-political position that necessitates promoting cooperation between the two parties in investments and economics, as well as cultural and political aspects, a matter that needs the involvement of all concerned entities and institutions.