Syria hosts Japanese delegation as interim government looks to shore up investment
Syria is eyeing closer ties with Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, as it recovers from years of civil war.
Japan sent a high-ranking delegation to Syria on Thursday as Damascus' new administration seeks to bolster relations with the international community and attract investment that can help rebuild the war-battered country.
Ando Toshihide, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and African Affairs Bureau, met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. Per a readout from the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Toshihide expressed that Japan is “ready to exchange expertise and experiences” with Syria and confirmed Japan’s support of the Syrian people. For his part, Shibani spoke of the “necessity of strengthening” relations between Syria and Japan and “praised” Tokyo’s support in the “framework of reconstruction and the return of displaced people.”
Japan did not immediately comment on the meeting.
Syria’s transitional government, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, took power after a rebel offensive ousted President Bashar al-Assad last month.
