Cairo: The Arab-Japanese Youth Forum was held Wednesday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo, under the theme "Bridges of Dialogue and Culture."
In his opening remarks, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States Ambassador Mohammed Saleh Suleiman Al Ojairi, said that the Arab-Japanese Youth Forum was being held for the first time under the theme "Bridges of Dialogue and Culture."
This comes as part of the Arab League's General Secretariat's commitment to fostering rapprochement between the Arab and Japanese peoples, particularly the youth, with the aim of introducing them to the culture, civilization, and customs of both sides, thus strengthening popular and cultural relations between them.
Ambassador Al Ojairi noted that cooperation between Arab countries and Japan has spanned many years, and has taken several important steps since the establishment of the Arab-Japanese Economic Forum in 2009, highlighting the launch of the Arab-Japan Political Dialogue at the ministerial level in 2013, which culminated in the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the League of Arab States and the Government of Japan in 2013.
This memorandum included the encouragement of dialogue between civilizations by enhancing communication and exchange between Arab and Japanese intellectuals.
Moreover, Al Ojairi pointed out that cooperation between the two sides has been expanded in recent years to include training and capacity-building, with the Arab League hosting several visits by Japanese diplomats to familiarize them with its work mechanisms and objectives.
In addition, the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt invited a group of Arab League diplomats to introduce them to key Japanese political, economic, and cultural issues.
The Assistant Secretary-General referred to the resolutions issued by the Arab League Council aimed at elevating bilateral cooperation, the most recent being the the resolution adopted during the 163rd regular session at the ministerial level, held on April 23.
The resolution expressed the member states’ keenness to enhance and develop their relations with Japan across various political, economic, social, and cultural fields.
