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Press statement on the talks between Foreign Minister Maas and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi
A Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson issued the following statement today (1 October) following the video conference between Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi:
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi for a video conference today.
Their talks focused on the dialogue regarding the Indo-Pacific region and the Federal Government’s policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific, which the Federal Cabinet adopted on 2 September. The two ministers agreed that the policy guidelines were an important point of departure for strengthening regional formats for rules-based relations. They agreed to cooperate more closely still in this area.
The ministers also talked about joint measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cooperation in multilateral forums and further international and bilateral issues. The 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Japan is set to be marked in 2021.
Background information:
Owing to the German Foreign Minister’s ongoing quarantine, a virtual format was chosen for holding the talks scheduled between the two ministers during Foreign Minister Motegi’s trip to Europe. The Japanese Foreign Minister is currently on his first trip abroad since his reappointment in Prime Minister Suga’s new cabinet.