Secretary General, Ambassador Ettore Francesco Sequi, met today at the Farnesina with Japan’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Takeo Mori, with whom he held consultations on major bilateral, regional, and global issues. They both expressed satisfaction for the renewed momentum in Italian-Japanese bilateral relations, as proven by the meeting in Rome between Prime Ministers Draghi and Kishida last May and by the talks held between Defence Ministers Guerini and Kishi in April.
Regarding bilateral relations, Ambassador Sequi called for a greater cooperation between Italy and Japan in the economic, cultural, and security sectors. He also outlined further opportunities to be seized in the field of technological, academic and trade cooperation, while stressing the commonality of values that inspire the EU’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region and Japan’s policy in the area.
While holding talks, Sequi and Mori discussed the latest developments of the war in Ukraine, reiterating the strong support for Kiev expressed by Italy and Japan at the G7 summit in Elmau. They also stressed the need to keep putting pressure on Moscow, and expressed concern for the food crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression. Consultations also included the main regional issues of common interest (Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan), with a focus on the situation in North Korea. In this context, Sequi condemned the ballistic tests launched by Pyongyang, stressing the importance of implementing the sanctions adopted by the UN to bring North Korea back to negotiations.
