(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
TOKYO, 2nd December, 2017 (WAM) -- The UAE Embassy in Tokyo celebrated the country's 46th National Day, in the presence of many senior Japanese officials, members of parliament, people in business, scholars, journalists and other figures representing various segments of the local community, as well as Arab and foreign diplomats.
The ceremony was also attended by Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Manabu Horii, and officials from the Emirati-Japanese Friendship Society for Businessmen, as well as members of political parties in the local parliament, officers from Middle East administrations of the ministries of foreign affairs, economy, commerce and industries and defence, and the Japanese armed forces and other government departments. It was also attended by senior officials from the departments of Japanese companies and banks concerned with co-operation with the UAE and the Middle East. All the participants congratulated the UAE on this occasion.
Khalid Omran Al Ameri, UAE Ambassador to Japan, said, in his speech, that 2nd December 1971, witnessed the birth of a country that has become a leading model of sustainable development and prosperity in the region.
He also praised the bilateral relations between the UAE and Japan, which are based on cooperation and mutual respect, while highlighting that these ties have reached the level of a strategic partnership in recent years.
Ambassador Al Ameri added that the UAE is the second leading supplier of oil to Japan, providing some 26 percent of its oil requirements. Regarding their trade exchange, he explained that it had reached a value of US$202 billion during the period between January and September 2017, marking an increase of 9.2 percent, compared to the same period in 2016.
On a cultural and academic level, Al Ameri stated that some 70 Emirati students are studying in Japanese universities and educational institutions, while about 300 Japanese companies are operating in the UAE market, and 4,000 Japanese nationals are living and working in the UAE, which is the largest Japanese community in the Middle East and Africa.
He also expressed his pleasure about the upcoming visit of Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, to the UAE at the start of 2018, and his hope that the visit will further strengthen the exceptional bilateral relations between the two countries.
The ceremony also included a visual presentation about the nation's overall achievements, examples of its national and cultural heritage and traditional clothing, as well as photographs that reflect the economic, urban and tourism advancements witnessed by the country, represented by national companies, such as Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.
The Japanese daily, Yomiuri Shimbun, published a special section on the UAE's National Day, which included the speech by Ambassador Al Ameri.
WAM/Nour Salman
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