TOKYO, Dec 5 (KUNA) -- Japan and the European Union (EU) on Friday pledged close cooperation between in light of the current international situation, as they discussed a wide range of topics, including the situation in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
The agreement came during a one-hour online Japan-EU Vice-Ministerial Consultation between Vice Japanese Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi and Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Belأ©n Martأ­nez Carbonell, the ministry said in a press release.
Funakoshi and Carbonell also confirmed the importance of further strengthening cooperation, including in the areas of national security and economic security, in order to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law, and agreed to continue communication at various levels.
In addition, the two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen the resilience of supply chains for critical minerals, including rare earths. (end) mk.mt