Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received here today visiting Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi. Al-Naimi conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In turn, Abe sent his greetings to the Saudi leadership. During the meeting, they stressed the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan and underscored the importance of developing these relations between the two countries in all fields. They also discussed several issues such as the leading role of the Kingdom in the stability of the international oil market; and the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially mutual investment in the field oil refining. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, Al-Naimi said "I am happy to visit Japan and meet with the Prime Minister who expressed Japan's sincere desire to continue and develop relations between the two countries". He stated that Japan is Saudi Arabia's second largest oil importer as the Kingdom supplies Japan with approximately 1, 200 million barrels per day, an equivalent to 30% of Japan's total consumption of petroleum. Al-Naimi concluded that "Japan is the biggest investor in several fields in the Kingdom, especially the industrial field. We are looking forward to the continuity and growth of Japanese investments in the Kingdom." --More
