JAPANESE PREMIER JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE EXISTING SAUDI-JAPANESE RELATIONS, AND SAID THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA IS STRATEGIC PARTNER OF JAPAN. IN A STATEMENTS PUBLISHED IN JEDDAH-BASED OKAZ NEWSPAPER TODAY, HE SAID THE FORTHCOMING VISIT OF CROWN PRINCE SULTAN BIN ABDULAZIZ, THE DEPUTY PREMIER, DEFENSE AND AVIATION MINISTER AND INSPECTOR GENERAL, TO JAPAN WOULD HAVE A POSITIVE AND QUALITATIVE IMPACT, AND WOULD POSITIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO FURTHER CEMENTING BILATERAL RELATIONS. 'THE VISIT WILL GIVE AN IMPETUS TO THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN RIYADH AND TOKYO', HE SAID. THE JAPANESE PREMIER EXPECTED THAT THE VISIT WILL GIVE THE SAUDI-JAPANESE STRATEGIC DIALOGUE A MAJOR BOOST, AND WILL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE PROCESS OF ENHANCING THE PILLARS OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION, AND WILL MOREOVER ENHANCE COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF FIGHTING TERRORISM AT THE BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARENAS. 'THE VISIT WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO ACTIVATING THE DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS', HE ADDED. THE PREMIER SAID THE SAUDI-JAPANESE RELATIONS ARE NOT ONLY CONFINED TO POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DOMAINS, SINCE JAPAN IS WORKING TO ENHANCE AND ACTIVATE DIALOGUE WITH THE MUSLIM WORLD AS WELL AS TO DEEPEN THE SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING, TOLERANCE AND COEXISTENCE. 'WE NEED TO DIVERSIFY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES', HE SAID. KOIZUMI NOTED THAT CULTURAL SEMINARS WERE ORGANIZED LAST YEAR TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAUDI-JAPANESE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
