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UN chief welcomes key meeting between foreign ministers of China, Japan, Republic of Korea

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
UN Photo/Mark Garten (file)
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

UN chief welcomes key meeting between foreign ministers of China, Japan, Republic of Korea

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the opening of the seventh Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting which brings together the foreign ministers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to discuss key regional issues, the United Nations spokesperson said today.

In a statement, Mr. Ban's spokesperson said the Secretary-General hoped that the meeting, which opened today in Seoul, Republic of Korea, would provide “momentum to reinforce the trilateral cooperation mechanism” between the three countries.

“The Secretary-General also expects that the Trilateral Summit would be held at an early date as agreed by the three ministers,” the statement declared.

“He further encourages the concerned parties to promote mutual trust and future-oriented cooperation for peace and prosperity in the region.”

Mr. Ban has long urged Asian leaders to resolve all differences through dialogue and build upon the promotion of cooperation and common interests in order to tackle the spread of deadly weapons, address local territorial disputes, and fully heal the rifts of a region which he once described as the scene of some of the “most worrying tensions in the world today.”