Mr. Abdulhafeez Samarqandi receives Award of the Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY2022

On 4 August, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the name of the recipients of the Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY2022. From Jeddah, Mr. Abdulhafeez Samarqandi, Associate Professor of King Abdulaziz University and President of Saudi Association of Japan Graduates and Associates received the award for his contribution to the promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and Saudi Arabia.
 
To commemorate this opportunity, on 28 September, Consul-General Shimmura invited Mr. Samarqandi and his family to his residence and handed over the certificate of commendation by Foreign Minister HAYASHI.
 
Mr. Samarqandi studied at the University of Tsukuba Graduate School and received his PhD in 1987. After returning to Japan, he felt the need to establish a network of people who had studied in Japan, and in 2006 he founded the Saudi Association of Japan Graduates and Associates (SAJGA) in Jeddah. Since then, as President of SAJGA, he has made efforts to strengthen the Saudi-Japanese relationship by organizing Saudi cultural introduction programs for Japanese Associations and Japanese School utilizing his network of former students in Japan, and also by cooperating in cultural programs organized by our Consulate-General.
 
The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups for outstanding achievements in international fields in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Commendations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients. The Consulate-General of Japan in Jeddah extends its most sincere congratulations to Mr. Samarqandi, and expresses its deep respect for his contributions and achievement.