US, Japan and South Korea are calling for greater cooperation against Russia and North Korea

September 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The governments of the United States, Japan and South Korea on Monday called for greater cooperation in the face of growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, which have increased their diplomatic and security relations in the wake of the war in Ukraine and rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

This was announced by US State Department Secretary Antony Blinken and his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Cho Tae Yul, respectively, at a meeting held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

“(The three diplomatic chiefs) reiterated their commitment to institutionalizing our trilateral cooperation. They discussed the need for close coordination to respond to deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which threatens stability in both Northeast Asia and Europe,” reads a statement from Blinken’s spokesman, Matthew Miller.

They have also expressed their rejection of “any unilateral attempt to change the status quo” in the Indo-Pacific seas, in reference to China’s territorial disputes with other countries in the South China Sea.

They also said that their position on the Taiwan issue “remains unchanged,” and stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as “an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.”

Finally, they discussed the “success” of their trilateral cooperation both in the UN Security Council and around the world. This is why they reaffirmed that they will create a Trilateral Secretariat after a meeting scheduled for the end of the year.