Japan, greece vow to work together on Ukraine

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Japan, greece vow to work together on Ukraine

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias pledged Wednesday to work together to deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, criticizing it as a serious breach of international law.

Hayashi said at a press conference after meeting with Dendias in Tokyo that the foundation of international order has been threatened by Moscow's invasion of its neighboring nation since February and called for unity within the international community.

He expressed grief over the deaths of many residents in Greek communities in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a major battlefield of the ongoing war.

Hayashi said that we hope to deepen discussions on how like-minded nations share fundamental values can maintain and promote the rules-based, free and open international order.

Dendias, who visited the southern port city of Odesa in Ukraine earlier this month to provide humanitarian relief, said he opposes the use of force against the independence of any nation, showing his gratitude to Japan for taking a clear stance on the situation in Ukraine.

The Greek minister strongly condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches as totally unacceptable and urged a visit to Greece by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as soon as possible.