Iran’s Foreign Minister Arrives in Japan

Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website

Tokyo, 27 February: Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki arrived here Monday [27 February] morning for an official three-day visit to meet with senior Japanese officials.

Mottaki was welcomed at Narita International Airport by Iranian Ambassador to Tokyo Mohsen Tala’i and officials of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During his stay in the country, the Iranian minister will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Foreign Minister Taro Aso.

He will also meet with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Toshihiro Nikai and members of the Iran-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Mottaki and Japanese officials are to discuss a range of bilateral relations and latest regional and international developments during this visit, it was learned from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry, in a statement, expressed hope the visit would further bolster Tehran-Tokyo cooperation. It said the two sides would also discuss the Iran nuclear issue. Japan’s foreign minister last week expressed his country’s support for the Russian proposal to enrich uranium in Iran’s behalf, and hoped the offer would help resolve the nuclear issue.

He called on Iran to accept Moscow’s proposal, which he described as “constructive.” Japan, which procures a significant portion of its oil needs from Iran and has contracts for the development of the latter’s oil fields, has a strong desire to resolve the current nuclear standoff while acknowledging Iran’s right to the pursuit of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Tokyo has urged settlement of the nuclear issue through diplomatic channels. Japan is currently Iran’s first trading partner while Iran is the third biggest supplier of crude oil to Japan. According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Japan imported 212.16m barrels of crude oil from Iran in 2005.

Japan signed a contract with Iran in February 2004 for development of Iran’s Azadegan oil field, one of the biggest oil fields in the world.

The current visit is the first by Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki to Japan since his appointment in August 2005. Mottaki served as Iran’s ambassador to Japan from 1995 to 1999.