Note:Your browser doesn't correctly display this page because of a bad stylesheets interpretation. This is probably due to an old browser version.

 
[Luxembourg 2005 Presidency of the Council of the European Union]
 Version française        
 

You are here : Home > News > Press Releases > May 2005 > EU-Japan Ministerial Troika meeting focuses on bilateral relations, UN reform and Iraq
Print this page Send this page

Press Release
EU-Japan Ministerial Troika meeting focuses on bilateral relations, UN reform and Iraq

Date of release : 06-05-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : EU-Japan (Troïka)


Jean Asselborn, Minister for Foreign Affairs and current President of the Council of the European Union, led the European delegation at the Ministerial Troika Meeting between the European Union and Japan on 6 May 2005 in Kyoto.

Japan was represented by its Minister for Foreign Affairs, Machimura Nobutaka. On the European side, Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also took part in the talks.

The talks focused on the outcome of the recent EU-Japan summit, the reform of the United Nations and the situation in the Middle East.

The two parties first reviewed the outcome of the EU-Japan summit of 2 May 2005 in Luxembourg. They welcomed the implementation of the EU-Japan Action Plan and expressed their satisfaction with the success of the 2005 EU-Japan Year of People to People Exchanges. Throughout the year, nearly 1,000 joint events are being organised in the European Union and Japan.

Recalling that the European Security Strategy had identified Japan as a key strategic partner, Jean Asselborn stressed that the European Union wished to intensify its co-operation and dialogue with Japan in the coming months: "We want to deepen even further our partnership, which is why I am pleased that at the Summit we convened to enhance our contacts and consultations on areas of common concern."

The President of the Council also conveyed the European Union's support to the process leading to the United Nations September Summit, which should include a comprehensive reform of the United Nations: "The European Union promotes UN reform with the objective to strengthen the international community's capacity to face new threats and the broad spectrum of present-day challenges. In this context, we support the call for wider adhesion to and implementation of international treaties, conventions and protocols on terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transnational organised crime."

Addressing the issue of sustainable development, Jean Asselborn underlined that the European Union was willing to "assume fully its part of responsibility" and recalled that the European Union was committed to the implementation of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals.

Concerning the situation in Iraq, the President of the Council said that "the European Union and the United States expected to co-host an international conference on Iraq in Brussels at the end of June." According to the Minister, the conference will most likely focus on the political and economic reconstruction of the country, as well as on rule of law and public order, and should take place in close cooperation with the United Nations and Iraq. Welcoming the Japanese contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq, Jean Asselborn indicated that "Japan will of course play an important role in this conference and will be closely associated with the preparatory work".




This page was last modified on : 06-05-2005

Top Top