THE 9TH MEETING OF THE SAUDI - JAPAN JOINT COMMITTEE WAS CONCLUDED IN RIYADH TONIGHT UNDER THE CO-CHAIRMANSHIP OF MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND PLANNING DR. KHALID BIN MOHAMMED AL-GOSAIBI AND JAPAN'S MINISTER OF ECONOMY TRADE AND INDUSTRY AKIRA AMARI. ADDRESSING THE MEETING, DR AL-GOSAIBI EXPRESSED PLEASURE OF MANAGING TO ACHIEVE A LOT IN A VERY SHORT TIME, AND BEING IMPRESSED BY THE OPENNESS, ENTHUSIASM AND WARMTH OF THE JAPANESE DELEGATION IN DISCUSSING A NUMBER OF WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES OF MUTUAL INTEREST. HE THANKED THE JAPANESE MINISTER FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND STRONG SUPPORT FOR BILATERAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. HE SAID THE RECORD OF DISCUSSION SIGNED TODAY WOULD ACT AS A BEACON AS THE TWO PARTIES CHART THEIR FUTURE COURSE AND EMBARK ON A MULTI-TIERED AND MULTI-DIMENSIONAL RELATIONSHIP. ON HIS PART, THE JAPANESE MINISTER UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MEETING WHICH CAME IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE STATE VISIT OF JAPAN'S PRIME MINSTER TO THE KINGDOM. HE POINTED TO THE NUMEROUS AREAS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN THE KINGDOM AND JAPAN, CITING THE $10 BILLION ARAMCO-SOMI TUMO PETROCHEMICAL PROJECT, AUTO SPARE PARTS, INVESTMENTS IN SAUDI STOCK MARKET AND NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN JAPAN AND GCC TO SET UP A FREE TRADE ZONE.
