Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the press at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on his way to Tuesday’s opening of the Marmaray in Istanbul.
The much anticipated opening of Istanbul’s Marmaray will see the attendance of many high profiled guests including the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe too will attend the opening ceremony.
Prime Minister Abe took the time to address members of the press about his visit at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, shortly before boarding his flight.
This visit will be Abe’s second since obtaining office less than a year ago.
During his address he stated that “(Turkey) is a very important country.”
“I would like to solidify the relationship of mutual trust between the leaders” Said Prime Minister Abe.
During his previous visit to Turkey, a Japanese-French consortium had won a bid to build a nuclear reactor and the Turkish Black Sea coast, a project which carries a 22 billion dollar price tag.
His last visit was also fruitful in that it resulted in the signing of an agreement between him and Prime Minister Erdoğan, which allows for Japanese countries to build nuclear reactors within Turkey.
A Regal Visit
Another high profiled guest shall visit Turkey later this week as well, King Harald V of Norway shall be in Turkey between the 5th and 7th of this November. During his visit he shall speak with President Abdullah Gül on the topic of renewable energy, a field in which Norway is a global front runner. The last visit by a Norwegian King had been in 1926, when diplomatic relations between Turkey and Norway had been established.
Sabah English
