Syria restores diplomatic ties with Japan after 15-year suspension

By Laith Al-jnaidi and Rania Abu Shamala

DAMASCUS/ ISTANBUL (AA) - Syria resumed its diplomatic relations with Japan on Tuesday after a 15-year break.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yohei Onishi visited Damascus in a visit that represented “the highest-level Japanese diplomatic trip to Syria in more than 15 years.”

The ministry said Onishi held an official meeting with Mohammad Zakaria Lababidi, Director of the Afro-Asian and Oceania Affairs Department, to discuss ways of developing bilateral relations and resuming cooperation in various fields.

Lababidi expressed his aspiration to benefit from Japan’s experience in recovery and reconstruction, according to the statement.

The ministry quoted Onishi as saying that the visit represents an official announcement of the resumption of relations between Syria and Japan and the beginning of a new stage of cooperation between the two countries.

Onishi also extended an official invitation to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to visit Japan.

The Japanese official reaffirmed his country’s rejection of Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, and Japan’s support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Economically, the two sides discussed the role of the Japanese private sector in reconstruction and plans to hold a forum for Japanese companies to encourage investment in Syria.