A high profile joint meeting of senior officials for strategic dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Japan took place here yesterday at the GCC headquarters.
According to the Japanese Embassy here, Misako Kaji, deputy director-general for Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, headed the Japanese delegation.
The meeting also dealt with the draft action plan for the strategic dialogue between the GCC and Japan (2012 -2015), which regulates the framework of cooperation between the two sides in all areas, especially trade and investment, energy, health, agriculture and the political sphere.
Another joint meeting of top officials for strategic dialogue between Australia and the GCC countries was also held yesterday at the Secretariat General of the GCC. The meeting discussed the work plan for strategic dialogue between the two sides and preparations for the joint ministerial meeting to be held later this year.
Assistant secretary-general for strategic dialogue and negotiations at GCC, Abdulaziz Al-Aluwaisheg, said the meeting discussed the collaboration work plan project between the GCC countries and Australia (2012-2015). Fields of collaboration between the two sides include trade,investments, economy, energy, agriculture as well as politics.
The two sides had previously signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic dialogue during the first joint ministerial meeting of the GCC ministers of foreign affairs and the Australian minister of foreign affairs in Abu Dhabi in March 2011. The memo determined the dialogue mechanism between the two sides on political, economic and cultural fronts.
GCC opens talks with Australia, Japan
