EU, Japan stress common ground on global security
Shinzo Abe - Photo EU Council
(BRUSSELS) - The European Union and Japan stressed Wednesday their common ground on global security issues, highlighted by the Ukraine crisis, promising to step up cooperation and seal a massive free trade deal.
EU President Herman Van Rompuy said talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed both sides took a "like-minded" approach to global challenges, notably on Ukraine where both men urged Russia to reverse course or face further sanctions.
The two leaders rejected Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and called on Moscow to "refrain from further steps" to escalate the crisis, Van Rompuy told a press conference.
The Ukraine crisis matters to Japan, which hopes it can rely on Western support as it faces down an increasingly assertive China in its own neighbourhood.
Abe's visit to Brussels, topping a nine-day, six-country trip to Europe, "demonstrates how much value Japan attaches to our relationship," Van Rompuy said, flanked by European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso.
A Strategic Partnership Agreement being negotiated will "enhance the security partnership," with Japan participating in EU crisis management operations and its efforts to counter terrorism and piracy.
Van Rompuy said talks on a free trade deal, however, were at a critical phase as the EU reviewed their progress amid concerns that European companies, especially automakers, may not get adequate access to the Japanese market.
Barroso said he hoped and expected the review would give the all-clear and the talks could be speeded up, with Abe hoping for a conclusion in 2015.
Some concerns "are only normal," Barroso said, adding: "I am really confident of making a great success of this agreement."
At his seperate press conference, Abe said he wanted the trade talks to be concluded as soon as possible.
- 'Responding together' -
The EU and Japan together account for more than 25 percent of global economic output but both have also gone through tough times in recent years, with some analysts highlighting the common danger of deflation and sluggish growth.
"Japan is breaking away from longlasting deflation," Abe said, pushing the merits of 'Abenomics,' his radical attempt to put so much money into the economy that it must eventually respond with increased demand and inflation.
The EU is watching Abe's experiment closely amid fears that falling prices could send its economy into a vicious downward spiral.
Abe also highlighted Japan's increased global engagement, enshrined in his "proactive contribution to peace" policy.
The EU and Japan were "responding to global issues together," Abe said through an interpreter, adding that they "shared a common approach based on international cooperation."
Abe alluded to Japan's concerns over the many territorial disputes roiling relations with China and across Asia.
The "East Asia security environment is becoming tougher," he noted, while stressing that Tokyo wants a peaceful dialogue to resolve the tensions.
Van Rompuy said Brussels hoped all sides would stick to that line.
On a lighter note, Van Rompuy, a devotee of all things Japanese, exchanged a traditional "haiku" mini-poem with Abe.
"Once come May spring ushers in life everywhere; Laughing blossoms," Van Rompuy told Abe in English.
Abe responded in kind, referring to a dinner hosted Tuesday by Van Rompuy at an ancient chateau.
"Lovely spring evening," he said through a Japanese intepreter. "How deeply do I appreciate the hospitality at an old castle."
EU-Japan relations - 22nd EU-Japan Summit