Press Releases
Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers’ Telephone Talk
On Sunday, Febraury 7, commencing at 8:50 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers’ telephone talk with Mr. Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. Minister Kishida explained that North Korea’s ballistic missile launch, following the fourth nuclear test, posed a direct and grave threat to the security of Japan, and undermined the peace and security of Northeast Asia and the international community, and was therefore totally unacceptable. Minister Kishida further confirmed the need for close cooperation with Russia, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and a member of the Six Party Talks, to accelerate consultations related to a UNSC resolution and achieve swift adoption of a strong resolution.
2. In response, Minister Lavrov commented that Russia is also concerned about the ballistic missile launch by North Korea, and that it had issued a message of protest in the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 7. Both Ministers agreed that Japan and Russia would continue to cooperate, including in efforts taking place at the United Nations.