Japan and Turkey agree on close coordination over Ukraine crisis

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Tuesday to work closely in defending the international order following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kishida told Erdogan during their roughly 25-minute phone talks that he highly appreciates Turkey’s consistent stance of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as Ankara has been stepping up mediation efforts over the war, the Foreign Ministry said.

Erdogan explained how Turkey has been playing the role of a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, the ministry said without giving details.

The two leaders also shared their views on the need to reform the United Nations Security Council, the ministry said.

For years, Japan has been calling for UN reforms, and the recent unilateral use of force in violation of international law by Russia, a permanent member of the council, has prompted Kishida to accelerate Japan’s push.

Turkey has close ties with its neighbors Russia and Ukraine. Last week, peace talks between the two countries were held in Istanbul, where Moscow vowed to cut back military operations near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Calls for more protests against Russia have been growing, meanwhile, amid reports of atrocities in a town near Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Also Tuesday, Kishida spoke by phone with Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain. They agreed to cooperate on stabilizing the global oil market, as the war in Ukraine has sent energy and commodity prices soaring, the ministry said.

During the talks, they confirmed that Japan and Bahrain, an oil producer, will coordinate their responses to the crisis in Ukraine, as it is a “serious” situation that shakes the foundation of the international order, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his British counterpart, Elizabeth Truss, strongly condemned Russia on Tuesday following the discovery of the bodies of apparent civilians near Kyiv.

In their 20-minute telephone talks, they shared the view that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and is utterly unacceptable.

Hayashi and Truss also confirmed that the Group of Seven major powers will lead efforts to maintain the pressure on Russia, including through sanctions.

The two also agreed to cooperate at a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers Thursday.

Hayashi told Truss that he returned from Poland to Japan with 20 people who had fled Ukraine. Truss praised Japan’s acceptance of the refugees.

Hayashi will visit Belgium between Wednesday and Friday to attend the G7 foreign ministers meeting and a meeting of NATO members and their partner countries, both scheduled for Thursday in Brussels, according to the ministry.

The foreign minister returned home on Tuesday after completing a five-day trip to Poland in the place of Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa, who tested positive for the coronavirus.

After staying in Japan for the night, Hayashi will leave for Europe again, from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Wednesday afternoon.