Newsletter No. 500
News-Analysis
January 28, 2007

 

The following newsletter has been contributed by Keely Fahoum (Shingetsu Member No. 112). Fahoum is based at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

INCREASING DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITY BETWEEN SYRIA AND JAPAN

Over the past few weeks there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity between Japan and Syria. Discussions among the respective ambassadors varied from culture, transportation, science and technological educational cooperation and even commentary on terrorism versus the right of an occupied territory to resist. On January 18, Syrian Minister of Transport, Yarob Badr met with outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Syria, Komei Sasaki, to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries in separate transportation sectors. Dr. Badr conveyed his wish to utilize Japanese expertise in all transportation fields, applauding studies presented by Japanese aides focused on developing transportation sectors in Syria. Ambassador Sasaki reinforced Japan’s interest in furthering cooperative relations with Syria, repeating intentions to offer expertise and expand prospects of cooperation within the transportation sector.

This week, the Syrian Minister of Culture, Riad Nasan Agha, discussed cultural cooperation between Japan and Syria with the new Ambassador to Syria, Masaki Kuneida. Kuneida was welcomed to Damascus by Vice President Farouk al-Shara, who wished him success in his mission to enhance relations between the Japan and the Arab state. Kuneida’s talks with Agha focused primarily on literature and theater and the two proposed a cultural exchange between university-level educational institutions as well as the possibility of holding, “culture weeks” highlighting both countries’ contributions to performance art.

Also this week, Syrian Higher Education Minister Dr. Giath Barakat met with Ambassador Kuneida to discuss scientific cooperation at respective academic institutions. Dr. Barakat conveyed his Ministry’s desire to profit from Japanese scientific expertise through the process of sending Syrian students to Japanese educational institutions specializing in banking, engineering and communications studies. The Syrian Minister also lauded the role of the Japan Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) in promoting educational collaboration between the two countries.

In addition to discussions about culture-sharing and scientific endeavors, the two countries discussed the role of religion in establishing peace and stability in the world. Syrian Minister of Islamic Endowments, Dr. Ziad al-Din al-Ayyubi met with Ambassador Kuneida in Damascus, calling for a dialogue of peaceful coexistence and the role of religion in achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region. Dr. Ayyubi contended that there was a need to differentiate between the right of people to defend and restore their rights within occupied lands and terrorism. There was little coverage of the Japanese Ambassador’s reaction to this claim, only comments that he praised Syria’s role in providing humanitarian aid and efforts to promote peaceful coexistence of religions in the country.

Discussions between Syrian and Japanese representatives also delved into the environmental realm when Latakia’s governor, Zahid Haj Mosa met with Resident Representative of JICA in Syria, K. Nagasawa to negotiate increasing levels of cooperation between the governate and JICA in the areas of equipment in environmental laboratories and improving labor capabilities. Mr. Nagasawa related JICA’s support to the governorate projects and environmental plans (including the construction of eleven sewage treatment plants and relocation of outlets from al-Bassa to al-Qasiah in 2009) including a number of machines, lab equipment and training for lab management.

The increasing diplomatic traffic between Syria and Japan seems to hold promise for a more robust relationship between the two countries which can serve to enhance Japan’s credibility as an “honest broker” in the Levant and will help to establish trust and respect. There has been little media coverage on the U.S. response to the increasing amount of diplomatic activity between Syria and Japan, although it would be interesting to know if these relationships are being built without input from the U.S., or at their encouragement. If the diplomatic relationships continue to develop and improve between Japan and Syria, this puts Japan in a powerful negotiating role in case of any outbreak of regional hostilities between Israel and Syria, or Israel and Iran. Although one observation could be made that the increasing diplomatic traffic is simply due to the arrival of the new Japanese Ambassador, it should be noted that the topics of negotiation have not been limited to high-level political discussions, but have instead focused on the improvement of internal Syrian infrastructure, and issues important to non-elites as well.