Saudi Crown Prince and Defence Minister Salman bin Abdulaziz (right) with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) in Jeddah yesterday.
JEDDAH: Japan and Saudi Arabia condemned “grave” human rights violations by Syria’s regime which they said has lost its “legitimacy”, in a joint statement yesterday after a meeting of top officials.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, where he met with Crown Prince and Defence Minister Salman bin Abdulaziz.
“Both sides condemned the continuation of grave violations of human rights by the Syrian authorities,” said a joint Saudi-Japanese statement.
They also stressed that the “regime had lost its legitimacy.”
On the economic front, the two countries “stressed the importance of the stability of the oil market for the global economy.”
Japan expressed its “appreciation for the balanced oil policy pursued by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a secure and reliable source in supplying oil to the international markets in general, and to the Japanese market in particular.”
Voicing support for the opposition Syrian National Coalition, both countries hoped the umbrella group would play a leading role in a political transition in the war-torn country.
They also “stressed their concerns for the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria,” and pledged continued contributions to answer urgent needs, in coordination with international organisations. Syria has been locked in a deadly conflict that began with a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule before it descended into a full-scale war between his forces and armed opposition groups.
AFP
