Japan-EU Relations
Japan-EU Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
August 1, 2019
On August 1, commencing at 6:05 p.m. local time (8:05 p.m. on the same day, Japan time) for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan held a meeting with H.E. Ms. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, during his visit to Bangkok, Thailand to attend the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. Japan-EU relations
(1) Minister Kono and High Representative Mogherini agreed to promote tangible Japan-EU cooperation in the fields of connectivity, etc. implemented under the Japan-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) and held discussions for that purpose.
(2) Furthermore, Minister Kono expressed gratitude to High Representative Mogherini, who will leave office at the end of October this year, for her close cooperation and contribution to the development of Japan-EU relations over five years. In response, High Representative Mogherini expressed gratitude for her extremely good personal cooperative relationship with Minister Kono and mentioned that the current cooperation between Japan and the EU was outstanding from a bilateral perspective and also from the perspective of global issues.
(2) Furthermore, Minister Kono expressed gratitude to High Representative Mogherini, who will leave office at the end of October this year, for her close cooperation and contribution to the development of Japan-EU relations over five years. In response, High Representative Mogherini expressed gratitude for her extremely good personal cooperative relationship with Minister Kono and mentioned that the current cooperation between Japan and the EU was outstanding from a bilateral perspective and also from the perspective of global issues.
2. Middle East situation
Minister Kono and High Representative Mogherini exchanged views regarding the situation in the Middle East region and shared their concern at the rise of tensions in the region, and shared the view to continue their diplomatic efforts toward easing tensions and the stabilization of the situation in the region.