Foreign Minister of Malaysia Saifuddin Abdullah (R) and hís Japanese counterpart Taro Kono (Photo: EPA)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Foreign Affairs Minister ofJapan Taro Kono paid a visit to Malaysia on July 10-11 at the invitation of hisMalaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah to discuss measures to strengthenbilateral relations.
At the meeting, the ministers were pleased with thecurrent state of bilateral relations and agreed to continue strengthening andfostering greater cooperation in many areas.
The two sides discussed matters related to the rejuvenationand further enhancement of Malaysia’ Look East Policy which would benefit bothcountries, especially in the areas of education and human resourcesdevelopment.
Theyalso discussed matters related to optimising the utilisation of railway lines whereJapan and Malaysia have agreed to look into ways to increase the efficiency ofMalaysia's existing railway lines; consideration of soft credit assistance aswell as maritime cooperation, where Japan has assisted through the contributionof two patrol vessels and assistance in human capacity development.
The ministers also discussed matters related to theregional developments.
Onthe situation in the Korean Peninsula, they welcomed the development of effortsfor the denuclearisation, and concurred that both sides should remain committedto implementing all sanctions as stipulated in the United Nations SecurityCouncil resolutions.
Onthe developments in the East Sea, Saifuddin and Kono agreed on the importanceof the sea lines of communication and maintaining peace in the East Sea. They also agreed for ASEAN to play a leading and active role inmanaging the situation and conflicts in the East Sea.
Theministers also exchanged ideas on how to promote regional peace and security inthe region.
Japanhad mentioned that its chief negotiator for the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership would be coming to Malaysia to explainthe current arrangement of the agreement to the Malaysian government.
TheJapanese Foreign Minister said he looked forward to working with his Malaysiancounterpart in both bilateral and multilateral platforms, including the ASEANForeign Ministers Meeting in Singapore next month and the United NationsGeneral Assembly in New York in September.
At the meeting, Saifuddin expressed his deepestcondolences to Kono over the flash floods and landslides due to heavy rains inwestern Japan. The incident had caused the deaths of more than 170 people.
Thiswas the first Malaysia visit by Kono since he took office in August 2017. Hewas also the first foreign minister to call on Saifuddin since his appointmentas the foreign minister last week.-VNA
