Joe Biden → Yoon Seok-yeol → Anthony Albanese Call
"South Korea and Japan Closely Communicate and Enhance Cooperation"
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba began his inaugural diplomacy on the 2nd by having his first phone calls in succession with U.S. President Joe Biden, President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
According to local media, Prime Minister Ishiba arrived at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo around 7:30 a.m. that day and made his first call to President Biden among foreign leaders.
After the call, Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters that he conveyed his intention to continue the path of strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance, as pursued by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Biden. He also expressed his desire to further strengthen networks with like-minded countries such as South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and the Quad (the security consultative group of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India).
He also had a call with President Yoon Suk-yeol for about 15 minutes starting at 3:15 p.m. that day.
The South Korean presidential office reported that during the phone call, President Yoon said, "Since South Korea and Japan are important neighbors and partners who share values and interests, let us continue to communicate closely and promote cooperation between the two leaders."
Prime Minister Ishiba responded, "I am pleased to be able to speak with President Yoon so soon after my inauguration. I highly appreciate President Yoon's leadership in striving for the development of bilateral relations and hope to communicate closely and cooperate going forward."
The two leaders agreed during their first call that next year, marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, would be a good opportunity for South Korea-Japan relations to take a further step forward. They also agreed to work together to continuously discover achievements that the peoples of both countries can feel.
Later, Prime Minister Ishiba had his first call since taking office with Australian Prime Minister Albanese for about 15 minutes starting around 5 p.m. The two leaders agreed to continue close cooperation in a wide range of fields including security, resources, and energy, and local media reported that they also agreed to strengthen cooperation through the Quad framework while collaborating with the U.S., South Korea, India, and others.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
