Paris rejects NATO plan to establish liaison office in Japan
(MENAFN) A plan to establish a NATO liaison office in Japan has been rejected by Paris, insisting that the bloc shouldn't expand outside of the North Atlanticas said by an Elysee Palace representative that Politico reported.
“NATO means North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” the representative informed reporters on Friday, urging against blurring the limits and pointing out that even the much-heralded Article 5 of the bloc's treaty expressly refers to ensuring the "security of the North Atlantic area."
Koji Tomita, the Japanese ambassador to the the United States, stated in May that Tokyo was aiming to become a NATO liaison office, that would establish the bloc's first presence in Asia. Since 2007, the plan has been briefly addressed, when Shinzo Abe, the premier at the time, and was brought up once more recently.
“We are not in favor as a matter of principle,” the French representative also said. “As far as the office is concerned, the Japanese authorities themselves have told us that they are not extremely attached to it.”
MENAFN09072023000045015682ID1106573795
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.