Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Mongolian counterpart, Damba Batlut, agreed to advance defense cooperation between their countries in a meeting at the Japanese Defense Ministry in Tokyo. In Wednesday’s meeting, the two also confirmed their intention to work together to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law. “Mongolia occupies a geopolitically important position between Russia and China,” Koizumi said at the meeting, emphasizing that the Japanese Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces place importance on cooperation with Mongolia. Batlut said Japan-Mongolia relations are developing across a wide range of fields. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
