Today, we concluded our bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, in an extremely positive atmosphere. Japan is the fourth-largest economy, a global leader in terms of economy and diplomatic influence.
We had the opportunity to discuss our bilateral agenda, the development of investments, in sectors with significant growth potential, such as shipping, energy, culture, advanced technology, and academic exchanges.
In our discussion, we also addressed regional and global geopolitical issues. Under extremely difficult circumstances, Greece and Japan share the same principles of an international community that will operate on the basis of principles and rules, an international community that will oppose revisionism and any change to the existing framework.
In this context, we discussed the deepening of relations between the European Union and Japan, as well as enhanced cooperation within the framework of NATO and our bilateral defense cooperation. Greece constitutes a true gateway for Japan, towards Europe and the world.
I discussed with the Minister the issues relating, in particular, to the freedom and safety of navigation. We share exactly the same perspective, and we agreed to further deepen our cooperation so that interregional cooperation, which is crucial today, can be developed even further.
Despite the fact that we are separated by a great geographical distance from Japan, in reality our perceptions are very close and for this reason we will work together so that these views of the full application of International Law, without any deviation whatsoever, become the global standard.
July 16, 2026