Japan FM, NATO Chief Vow Closer Cooperation

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, June 25 (KUNA) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte pledged their cooperation in order to elevate the Japan-NATO cooperation to a new height in various fields, including the defense industry, Japan's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
During their meeting in The Hague on Tuesday (local time), Iwaya and Rutte also discussed Iran, Ukraine, North Korea and other regional situations, confirming the need to continue to work together among like-minded countries in response to security challenges across the regions, the ministry said in a statement.
Rutte said cooperation between NATO and the Indo-Pacific partners including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea has become even more important as the security environment is becoming severer, according to the statement.
For his part. Iwaya stressed that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable, saying "the Japan-NATO cooperation is beneficial for the security of both regions."
The minister also welcomed the progress in the Japan-NATO relations since Rutte's visit to Japan in April this year, including the launch of the Defense Equipment and Industrial Dialogue between Japan and NATO. (end)
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