Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Wednesday arrived here on a three-day official visit, during which the King was to discuss Mideast issues and bilateral ties.

The King was to hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Aso Taro on the Palestinian and Iraqi issues as well as means to enhance Jordanian-Japanese relations.

King Abdullah was due to address the Japan Institute of International Affairs about Mideast and international challenges as well as the need to resolve the Palestinian crisis to stabilize the region. The institute is an independent academic institution affiliated to the Japanese ministry of foreign affairs and the “source of authoritative interpretations of Japanese foreign policy”, according to its website.

The King and Queen were expected to meet with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

King Abdullah was also to discuss Japan's initiative, “Peace and Prosperity Corridor”, which envisions the establishment of an economic zone in the Jordan Valley to enhance Jordanian-Palestinian-Israeli cooperation.

The King's meetings were scheduled to include talks with businesspeople as well as officials of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah told the Yomiuri Shimbun daily in an interview: “We are actually going to enhance bilateral cooperation.”

“I am also personally looking… to reach out to the private sector in Japan to have stronger bridges between our two countries. I am very interested in alternative sources of energy. I am looking at what Japan has done with solar and wind power. It is something that is a small part of my personal interest,” the King told the daily.

The King said Japan's plan in the Jordan Valley “would have a tremendous impact on the economic situation of what the West Bank is going through today.

“There are other projects. We have an old bridge that we want to upgrade so the Palestinian traffic can be much more efficient,” he said. The King expressed hope that Japan will play a “vital role” in the Middle East.

He stressed the need to revive the Middle East peace process in line with the roadmap and support the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki to stabilize his country.

The Jordan Times