Europe

　On Wednesday, April 30, commencing at 8:40 a.m. (local time) for approximately 20 minutes, Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Fumio Kishida held telephone talks with Ms. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, during his visit to the Kingdom of Denmark. The overview of the talks is as follows.

1. High Representative Ashton explained the EU’s position regarding the situation in Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia. In response, Minister Kishida said the Government of Japan also takes seriously the fact that no improvement in the situation can be detected despite the Geneva accord of April 17, and he again explained that Japan decided to impose additional sanctions against Russia on April 29.

2. They shared the view that they will continue to coordinate their responses in order to peacefully resolve the situation in Ukraine, including providing assistance to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

3. They also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue and confirmed that Japan and the EU will continue to work together closely.