Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to drum up EU pressure on North Korea on Sunday in Sofia, while pledging to boost economic cooperation with Bulgaria and the Balkans.
SOFIA: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to drum up EU pressure on North Korea on Sunday (Jan 14) in Sofia, while pledging to boost economic cooperation with Bulgaria and the Balkans.
“During today’s talks we discussed the constantly worsening security situation in Eastern Asia and we were unanimous with Premier Boyko Borisov about the importance of close cooperation on the North Korea issue,” Abe said.
He met with his Bulgarian counterpart Borisov as the country takes on the rotating EU presidency for the next six months.
“We categorically condemn the behaviour of North Korea with their firing of ballistic missiles and nuclear programme,” Borisov said, but added that “all problems must be solved in a peaceful way, on the negotiations table.”
Despite a recent cooling of tensions with Pyongyang, Abe has used his six-country trip to the Baltics and the Balkans to again hammer home his hawkish message that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes pose a global threat.
The Japanese PM also pressed “for a quick solution” to the problem of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970 and 1980s – an issue that has been a keystone of his political career.
