Japan, European Countries, Others Confirm Security Cooperation

New York, Sept. 23 (Jiji Press)–Foreign ministers and high-level representatives from Japan, South Korea, Australia, Britain, France and Germany on Tuesday confirmed their cooperation on common security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific and Europe, with China, Russia and North Korea in mind. They met in New York on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session, issuing a joint statement that highlighted their countries’ unity around shared values, including free trade and the rule of law. It is believed that the meeting was also intended to coordinate responses to the “America First” policy promoted by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. “The peace, security and resilience in the Indo-Pacific and Europe are becoming more intertwined,” the statement said. It underlined the countries’ commitment to continuing to work together on cyber defense and responses to so-called hybrid threats that involve both military and nonmilitary tactics. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called for cooperation in economic security during the meeting. Representatives of New Zealand and Poland also participated in the meeting, which was hosted by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]