Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias described his visit to Japan as particularly successful in statements after the end of a series of meetings in Tokyo, adding that the the common ground between the two countries is the focus on the International Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the tackling of revisionism.
“I had the opportunity to have an in-depth exchange of views with my Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, following our contact in the Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels a few days ago. First of all, we discussed Ukraine. My colleague demonstrated a particular interest for the Greek Diaspora in Mariupol and Odessa. We analysed the wider implications of the Russian invasion. But we also had the opportunity to talk about the International Law of the Sea and the cooperation we have established, the co-operation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs regarding the analysis of issues that fall within the International Law of the Sea, that is, UNCLOS. And beyond that, we discussed our bilateral relations and the possibility of their development in the near future” Dendias said.
Japan is a particularly interesting case, the Greek Minister said. “It is an island country, a country that has signed UNCLOS, a country that belongs to the Group of Friends on UNCLOS. And something else, which perhaps escapes the attention of Greek society: Japan is a country that also signed the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. So, in this sense, it is a country which, considering its large size is an essential interlocutor on the issues of the Law of the Sea, on issues of stability and in the effort to address revisionism, meaning adherence to the Treaties and the borders defined by these Treaties.
This is our common ground when we both condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But this is also our common ground when we talk about global stability.
Finally, Dendias said that he conveyed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ invitation to the Japanese Prime Minister to visit Athens.
SOURCE; AMNA
