NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (left) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Tokyo. - AP
TOKYO, Jan 31 (dpa): Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pledged to further deepen their cooperation at a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, according to a joint statement.
Following the meeting, Stoltenberg tweeted that Japan is "a powerful partner for peace."
"Together we can and will do more to address shared challenges, including Russian aggression and China’s coercive behaviour," he said.
"The world is at a historical inflection point in the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II," the joint statement read, identifying NATO and Japan as "reliable and neutral partners" sharing common values.
"Russia's aggression against Ukraine has shattered peace and shaken the foundation of the rules-based international order. It has gravely altered the security environment in the Euro-Atlantic and beyond," it added.
"The balance of power is also rapidly shifting in the Indo-Pacific," the two leaders noted, adding that "unilateral change of the status quo by force or coercion is not acceptable anywhere in the world."
"We recognise that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and of the Indo- Pacific is closely connected and stress the necessity of further strengthening cooperation between Japan and NATO," the statement added. - dpa
