EU congratulates Japanese PM on election victory

BRUSSELS, Oct 23 (KUNA) -- The European Union warmly congratulated Monday Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on winning Sunday's general elections.
"Your reconfirmation as Prime Minister gives you a strong mandate to accelerate an ambitious reform agenda and will allow us to further deepen the close personal relationship that we have developed," said the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, in a joint statement.
"As strategic partners we have a responsibility to enhance our bilateral security partnership, as well as to cooperate closely on the manifold shared challenges in our regions, and in particular on the Korean peninsula," said the EU statement. (end) nk.bs