(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, May 12 (KUNA) -- The European Union and Japan Thursday emphasized their determination to cooperate to keep global energy markets stable and reduce Europe's dependency on energy supplies from Russia.
'In the light of sanctions on Russia, we will cooperate to keep global energy markets stable and help ensure each other's security of supply, in particular for the supply of LNG,' EU and Japan said in a joint statement released after their 28th summit held in Tokyo earlier today.
'We will cooperate to reduce Europe's dependency on energy supplies from Russia and ensure diversification of energy supply sources, and acknowledge the need for investments to achieve this,' added the statement.
EU and Japan strongly condemned the Russian military operation in Ukraine, demanded that Russia stop its 'military aggression' in Ukraine immediately and said those 'responsible for the war crimes and the atrocities perpetrated by Russia will be held accountable and brought to justice.'
Furthermore, on the Indo-Pacific region the statement said 'we will enhance cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and based on the rule of law and democratic values, as well as unconstrained by coercion, based upon our respective, complementary strategies for the Indo-Pacific region.'
The EU and Japan stated that they will deepen their exchanges on China, notably with regard to political, economic and security dynamics, including on the situation in Hong Kong as well as on human rights, including in Xinjiang.
'We express serious concern about reports of militarization, coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea. We reaffirm the critical importance of respecting international law', said the statement.
It strongly condemned the continued unlawful testing of ballistic missiles by North Korea and called on the country to cease destabilizing actions and abandon its nuclear weapons and its ballistic missiles programmes.
The two sides reiterated their joint support to revive the Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and ensure its full implementation. 'We urge Iran to refrain from further escalations of its nuclear programme,' said the statement.
The EU and Japan said they will consult and coordinate closely on other shared interests, such as the Eastern Partnership, Belarus, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East Peace Process, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
They also stressed on seeking close coordination between the EU, Japan and the US on global and regional issues.
'Defeating the COVID-19 pandemic remains one of our priorities,' said the statement and called for universal, equitable and affordable access to safe, effective and quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as the strengthening of health systems.
The EU was represented at the summit by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, while Japan was represented by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (end)
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