At their third strategic dialogue, held alongside the G7 summit in Les Vaux-de-Cernay on Thursday 26 March, the European Union and Japan reaffirmed their desire to work together to address their common security interests, according to a press release from the European External Action Service.
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Toshimitsu Motegi, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, underlined the growing interconnection between Europe’s security and that of the Indo-Pacific region.
The diplomats firmly opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas. In the face of escalating tensions, they reiterated the importance of maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait.
They also expressed serious concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic programmes and its increased military cooperation with Russia, which is already under sustained pressure from sanctions linked to the invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to these regional issues, the EU and Tokyo intend to strengthen their operational cooperation in the fields of cyber security, maritime security and supply chain resilience. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)