NATO, Indo-Pacific Partners Pledge Deeper Cooperation

Ankara, July 7 (Jiji Press)–NATO and its Indo-Pacific Four partners agreed in a meeting on Tuesday to strengthen their coordination in areas such as defense industry cooperation and cybersecurity. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte convened the roughly 30-minute meeting with the IP4–Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand–on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The participants exchanged views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China-related issues, policies toward North Korea and tensions involving Iran. Japan was represented by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Referring to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea related to the invasion of Ukraine, Motegi said, “The security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable.” Koizumi said, “Cooperation between NATO and the IP4 has never been more necessary.” From South Korea, President Lee Jae-myung and Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attended the meeting. Other participants included Australian Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy and New Zealand Defense Minister Chris Penk. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]