Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (right) with Imad Abu Kishek (left), president of Al-Quds University, during a visit to campus. (photo courtesy of Al-Quds University.)

JERUSALEM, December 27, 2017 (WAFA) –pledged during a visit to Al-Quds University on Wednesday to work to strengthen the working relationship between the Palestinian university and the Government of Japan.

“Honored and happy” to be at Al-Quds University, Taro told the president of Al-Quds University Imad Abu Kishek.

He said he was deeply grateful to the efficient utilization of funds and thanked Al-Quds University for its “able management.”

Japan has been contributing financial and technical support to Al-Quds University since the establishment of its Medical Complex. In 1998, it provided the Medical Complex with equipment.

The Government of Japan also provided assistance in 2002 at the height of the second Palestinian uprising (Intifada) in which the Japanese Foreign Minister said Al-Quds University “managed to use this assistance effectively despite the difficult circumstances.” Currently, renovations are underway for the Medical Complex.

“Al-Quds University represents a positive example of the assistance that the Government of Japan extends to the Palestinian people, and we thank you for using it effectively,” said Taro following his meeting with the president of Al-Quds University. He also said the Japanese Government will provide more assistance and hopes it will be used in the “same effective way.”

“We remain committed to supporting the Palestinian people. Our support of Al-Quds University is an example of this commitment, and we shall remain committed to helping the University,” said the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister.

Abu Kishek extended his deepest appreciation to the visiting minister,  the accompanying Japanese delegation and the Government of Japan for “standing with the people of Palestine.”

He told Taro that Japan’s contribution has allowed Al-Quds University Medical Complex to “play a pivotal role in the improvement of the quality of health care in the occupied territories, which has for long been underserved and neglected.”

“We cannot properly express what your being here means to us. We are honored to know that Al-Quds University has you as a friend. This is a sign of the strong strategic relationship between Al-Quds University and the Government of Japan, one that continues to flourish,” said Abu Kishek.

The president also updated Taro about the services Al-Quds University continues to provide to the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. He praised the ongoing efforts of the Japanese ambassador to Palestine Takeshi Okubo.

“I also wish to thank you for Japan’s support of Palestine and the just cause of peace in the region, as embodied by Japan’s recent vote in the United Nations,” said Abu Kishek, referring to Thursday’s UN General Assembly motion against the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The visit concluded with Abu Kishek giving Taro a brief about Al-Quds University enrollment, its programs, research and steady growth. Taro also expressed his admiration for Al-Quds University’s achievements during a tour of its laboratories at the medical facilities.

Founded in 1994, the School of Medicine at Al-Quds University was the first to come to light in Palestine. The Medical Complex now holds the schools of dentistry, pharmacology, health professions, and public health, in addition to the various health services presented to the Palestinian community.

Al-Quds University is a collegiate research university based in Jerusalem, Palestine. Established in the late 70s, Al-Quds University remains the only Arab university in the city of Jerusalem. It currently offers 93 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, taught through its 15-degree-granting faculties and institutes.

M.K.