Speaking on behalf of the Japanese government, Ambassador Shigeru Endo said, “Al-Gosaibi has significantly contributed to the growth of bilateral relations over the past 12 years since he became a minister.”
Ambassador Endo said that the “Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun” (Kyokujitsu Daijusho) was Japan’s oldest decoration and one of the highest honors that could be conferred on a foreign national. The decoration was presented to Al-Gosaibi at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo by the Japanese emperor early this week, said Endo.
“The visit of Al-Gosaibi has paved the way for increasing cooperation in the area of atomic energy and for holding regular policy dialogues on issues related to water,” said a statement released by the Japanese Trade and Economy Ministry. “On atomic energy particularly, as it relates to electricity and water, the two countries have agreed to conduct exchanges of visits at the government level,” the statement said.
Japan is looking into areas of priority in the future — such as fresh water production from sea water or water disposal.
The Kingdom, on the other hand, is interested in Japan’s technology in water-related fields. The statement, released after the Saudi-Japanese ministerial meeting in Tokyo, said that the two sides had agreed to hold the next water policy dialogue in Riyadh next month.
Referring to the honor conferred on the Saudi minister, Ambassador Endo said that Al-Gosaibi had played “a major role in forging closer ties between Arab and Japanese cultures, while representing the Kingdom in several Japan-Arab dialogue sessions in the past." He said that Al-Gosaibi had provided “indispensable support to all projects” between the two countries including the Saudi Japanese Automobile High Institute (SJAHI) which was established in 2002.
The ambassador pointed out that Al-Gosaibi had been instrumental in promoting two major initiatives, which led to the establishment of institutes such as the Higher Institute for Plastics Fabrication (HIPF) in 2007, and the Saudi Electronics and Home Appliances Institute (SEHAI) in 2009. Moreover, the Saudi minister has also played a leading role in chairing the eighth and ninth Japan-Saudi Joint Commission meetings, which eventually resulted in notable achievements in terms of major economic agreements and conventions, he added.
