Liaison Office between Atlantic Alliance and Japan “remains on the table” – Observer

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this Wednesday that the possibility of opening an Atlantic Alliance liaison office in Tokyo is still being considered and will be addressed in the future.

“The question of the contact office remains on the table and will be considered in the future.”indicated Stoltenberg in a press conference at the end of the NATO summit that took place this Wednesday and Tuesday in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand were invited to the summit, an invitation justified by the fact that “the challenges” to be faced “are global” and everyone’s security “is interrelated”, said the Secretary General of NATO.

What happens in the Euro-Atlantic region is important for the Indo-Pacific. What happens in the Indo-Pacific is important for the Euro-Atlantic region”, commented Stoltenberg.

On the sidelines of the meeting, NATO chief and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed a personalized partnership program (ITPP) focused on space security and combating disinformation.

In a joint appearance, the two representatives chose not to mention the possible opening of the announced liaison office.

According to Japanese media, the measure is supposed to be on the agenda of bilateral discussions and is intended to strengthen collaboration between NATO, Japan and other Asia-Pacific partners.

The opening of this office, which would be the first of its kind in Asia, was also included in the joint declaration of the NATO summit approved on Tuesday, after several countries, including France, expressed reservations about the risk of an increase in tensions with the China.