Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan and Turkey foreign ministers on March 19 agreed to cooperate and coordinate on the Middle East and Ukrainian issues and deepen bilateral friendly relations toward the year 2024, the 100th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic ties.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who is visiting Turkey for a short trip that includes the UAE on March 20, exchanged views with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, on the situation in Afghanistan and East Asia, including China and North Korea, and affirmed that they would continue to coordinate on dealing with North Korea, including the abductions issue, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said in a statement.

The Ministers confirmed to hold the first meeting of maritime consultations in the first half of this year to discuss specific cooperation, and to accelerate negotiations toward the early conclusion of the Japan-Turkey Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the Japan-Turkey Social Security Agreement, and to aim for the opening of the Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology in 2023, the ministry said.

In addition, Minister Hayashi expressed his intention to expand cooperation in new areas, including space and climate change, and they concurred on closely cooperating in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation through Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI).

In the meeting, minister Cavusoglu provided a detailed explanation of Turkey’s diplomatic efforts based on its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, and Minister Hayashi expressed his sincere gratitude and respect for the efforts made by Turkey.