LOC14:53
11:53 GMT
BRUSSELS, April 24 (KUNA) -- The European Union and Japan are expected to reaffirm their strong support for the rules-based international order, to promote multilateralism as well as free and fair global trade during their summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday (tomorrow).
Leaders from the EU and Japan will discuss bilateral ties, global and foreign policy issues as well as take stock of the implementation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), noted an EU press release here today.
The leaders will use the summit to confirm both sides' commitment to full and swift implementation of the EPA, which entered into force on February 1, 2019.
EU companies export to Japan was EUR 64.7 billion (USD 72.2 billion) in goods for 2018 and EUR 34.7 billion (USD 38.8 billion) in services for 2017. The predicted annual increase of EU exports after the entry into force of the EPA is over 13 percent, it noted.
The EU will be represented at the summit by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. Japan will be represented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Recent developments in the EU's and Japan's respective neighbourhoods will be on the agenda of the EU-Japan summit.
They will discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and reiterate their support for Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The situation in the Korean peninsula will also be addressed, with both sides remaining fully committed to the goal of achieving complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of all of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction.
On Iran, leaders are expected to stress the importance of the preservation and continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA).
The summit will be an opportunity for Japan and the EU to prepare for the upcoming G20 meeting in Osaka on June 28-29 2019. (end)
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