Abe Leaves for Middle East, Africa

Tokyo, Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for a weeklong tour of the Middle East and Africa on Thursday. Abe is scheduled to arrive in Oman later in the day for talks with Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. Abe is also set to visit Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Ethiopia before returning home Wednesday. The Japanese prime minister is accompanied by his wife Akie during the tour. Speaking to reporters at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda before his departure, Abe said Africa is a frontier for Japanese diplomacy. The Middle East is extremely important for Japan in a strategic way and important from a security perspective, he said. Abe said he aims to continue diplomacy aimed at taking a panoramic perspective of the world map. In Oman, Abe and Sultan Qaboos are expected to agree on a bilateral investment pact. Abe will also request stable oil and liquefied natural gas supply. Abe will be the first Japanese prime minister to visit Oman since Toshiki Kaifu in 1990. The trip to Oman will make Abe the first Japanese prime minister to visit all six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council while in office. Abe will meet with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Friday, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Sunday. On Tuesday, Abe will deliver a policy speech on Africa at the headquarters of the African Union in Ethiopia. END