Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with G7 leaders

G7 leaders with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission after visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Japan on May 19, 2023. (Photo: Kyodo/VNA)

Within the framework of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, host country Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on May 19 had a sideline meeting with leaders of countries in the group.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of security and economy. The two leaders affirmed their continued support for Ukraine and strengthened sanctions against Russia.

In addition, the two leaders also pledged to promote cooperation in the fields of cyberspace and space, civil nuclear energy and support for startups through an initiative to send 100 Japanese entrepreneurs to France over the next five years.

On the same day, Prime Minister Kishida met with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz. The two sides agreed to further expand cooperation in economic security and other areas, building on the results of the first intergovernmental discussion between the two countries with the participation of key leaders and ministers in Tokyo last March.

The Japanese Prime Minister hopes to cooperate with the German side to promote G7 discussions on maintaining and strengthening the rules-based international order. Notably, the two leaders agreed on the importance of engaging with emerging and developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the two leaders welcomed “steady progress” in implementing a joint action plan to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The joint action plan was announced by Japan and Canada in October 2022. The plan includes launching negotiations to reach a bilateral agreement on intelligence sharing “as soon as possible.”

In addition, on May 19, Prime Minister Kishida had bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

In a related development, according to a VNA correspondent in South Korea, on May 19, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will depart for Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 Summit and hold important sideline meetings.

South Korean Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said President Yoon Suk-yeol will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Kishida and attend a trilateral summit between the US, Japan and South Korea on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

The leaders of the US, Japan and South Korea are expected to discuss strategic cooperation measures to upgrade trilateral cooperation amid emerging challenges.

In addition, the South Korean leader will hold bilateral meetings with important partners such as Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Notably, President Yoon Suk-yeol will speak at an expanded session of the G7 Summit, addressing issues such as food security, health, climate change and energy.

The session will also include a discussion of policies for a rules-based international order and engagement with emerging countries.

South Korea is not a member of the G7 but was invited to the conference as one of eight guest countries, along with Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Comoros and the Cook Islands./.

Duc Trung - Khanh Van (Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

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