Japanese foreign minister calls for global peace in 2025

Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has said that in 2025, every effort must be made to achieve peace and put an end to conflicts around the world.

"This year must be one of calming, stable, and restoring peace at all costs," Iwaya said during an interview with NHK, Caliber.Az reports.

He noted that 2024 had been a year of turmoil, marked by ongoing armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, Iwaya arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine for discussions focused on North Korea’s growing military cooperation with Russia, which includes the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to assist Moscow in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Iwaya met with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to reaffirm Japan’s "strong support" for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.

The talks covered additional sanctions against Moscow. According to Japan’s Foreign Ministry, a significant part of the agenda was the growing military alliance between Russia and North Korea, which has raised concerns in Tokyo.

By Naila Huseynova