Japanese foreign minister to visit Turkey

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has said he will pay an official visit to Turkey on Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had invited his Japanese counterpart who has visited Oman, Jordan, Palestine and Israel this week.

Responding to Anadolu Agency in an email, Kono said the countries should further cooperation on regional and international issues.

Kono said that peace and stability of the Middle East "are directly linked to Japan's economy, society and security".

He also said that Turkey had a significant influence on issues such as security, politics, economy and culture in the region, adding that Japan supported Turkey's efforts to shelter more than 3 million Syrian people.

Kono said his country had sent nearly $80 million for the Syrian refugees in Turkey, adding that Japan would back non-military initiatives for resolving the conflict in Syria.

Speaking about the U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, Kono said they believed in the two-state solution.

Japan voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution last week, which condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision.