Tokyo, 23 July, /AJMEDIA/
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Iran’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian agreed Monday to work together to further develop bilateral ties “based on the traditional friendly relationship.”
During their phone talks, Kishida and Pezeshkian exchanged views on the situation surrounding the Middle East, focusing on the Gaza Strip, where conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues.
Kishida “expressed his high hope for Iran to play a more constructive role towards the peace and stability of the Middle East and to advance cooperation with the international community,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
Moderate reformer Pezeshkian was elected as Iran’s new president in a runoff election earlier this month, succeeding Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.
Expectations are growing that Pezeshkian’s victory over hardliner Saeed Jalili will ease tensions with Western nations and revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal struck with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
Kishida and Pezeshkian discussed the agreement, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions, the ministry said, adding they confirmed Monday that they will maintain close communication with each other.
Resource-poor Japan has been highly dependent on crude oil from the region and traditionally pursues a “balanced diplomacy” between Israel and Muslim countries in the Middle East, including Iran.
After the runoff, Kishida sent a message of congratulations to Pezeshkian on his election victory and expressed a desire for close cooperation with the president-elect, the ministry said.
© KYODO