(VOVWORLD) - Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union held their first-ever vice foreign ministerial talks Thursday, agreeing to advance specific cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Japanese government.
 The Indo-Pacific region (Photo: Ceoworld Magazine) |
Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino, who is on his trip to Tokyo, met online with their counterparts — South Korea’s Cho Hyun-dong, Australia’s Jan Adams and New Zealand’s Chris Seed.
The five participants discussed how to maintain a free and open international order based on the rule of law and talked about the involvement of the European Union and like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The talks take place in the context that European countries are focusing on strengthening security partnerships with four Asia-Pacific countries.