JAPAN'S PREMIER SHINZO ABE MET HERE TODAY WITH SAUDI BUSINESSMEN AND ATTENDED THE INAUGURATION OF SAUDI-JAPANESE ECONOMIC FORUM ORGANIZED BY THE COUNCIL OF SAUDI CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY. ADDRESSING THE MEETING THE MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DR. HASHIM BIN ABDULLAH YAMANI SAID THAT JAPAN RANKED FIRST AMONG TOP TEN COUNTRIES IMPORTING FROM THE KINGDOM AND THE SECOND AMONG TOP TEN COUNTRIES EXPORTING TO THE KINGDOM IN 2005. DR. YAMANI NOTED THAT THE KINGDOM RANKED 12TH AS THE BIGGEST EXPORTER AND 22ND AS AN IMPORTER OF COMMODITIES IN THE WORLD IN 2005 WITH GROSS TRADE EXCHANGE AMOUNTING TO SR 900 BILLION. HE CALLED ON JAPANESE BUSINESSMEN TO INVEST IN THE KINGDOM AND SET UP JOINT INVESTMENT PROJECTS WITH SAUDI INVESTORS OR ALONE. IN HIS SPEECH, THE JAPANESE PREMIER SAID THAT THE KINGDOM'S ECONOMY HAS BEEN PROSPEROUS OVER THE PREVIOUS YEARS, THANKS TO THE WISE POLICY PURSUED BY THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT PARTICULARLY OPENING THE MARKETS, INTERNAL REFORMS, ACCESSION INTO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) AND OTHER REFORMS DIRECTED BY THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ. HE STRESSED HIS COUNTRY'S KEENNESS ON FIRM RELATIONS WITH THE KINGDOM AND ON DIVERSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, POINTING TO CONSULTATIONS IN THE FIELD OF INVESTMENT. THE JAPANESE PREMIER NOTED THAT HIS VISIT TO THE KINGDOM AIMS AT ACTIVATING STRATEGIC DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IN ALL FIELDS, STRESSING MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE MUSLIM WORLD. ON HIS PART, THE COUNCIL'S CHAIRMAN ABDULRAHMAN BIN RASHID AL-RASHID SAID THAT THE KINGDOM LOOKS FORWARD TO BUILDING REAL AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH JAPAN AND BRINGING MORE JAPANESE INVESTMENT INTO THE KINGDOM. THE MEETING WAS ATTENDED BY MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND PLANNING KHALID BIN MOHAMMED AL-QUSAIBI, THE GOVERNOR OF GENERAL INVESTMENT AUTHORITY AMR AL-DABBAGH, SAUDI AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN FAISAL BIN HASSAN TRAD AND A NUMBER OF OFFICIALS.
