U.S. President Donald Trump has affirmed his country’s commitment to ensure the security of Japan.
Trump made the pledge in readout of his call with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday.
`President Trump and Prime Minister Abe spoke on the phone today to discuss the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance and cooperation on regional and global issues.
“The two leaders discussed the significance of Secretary of Defence Mattis’s upcoming visit to the region, including Japan,’’ a statement from the White House said.
It said Trump and Abe said they would consult and cooperate on the threat posed by North Korea while they would deepen the bilateral trade and investment relationship.
The President and the Prime Minister agreed to meet in Washington on Feb. 10 to further deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Trump’s phone call with Abe is the first of five calls with world leaders today, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Trump and Mexican President Enrique Nieto spoke by phone on Friday for an hour in what the White House said: “was mutually arranged by their teams’’ after a border wall tweets disagreement sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
“The two had a productive and constructive call regarding the bilateral relationship between them, the current trade deficit the United States has with Mexico, the importance of the friendship and the need for them to stop drug cartels, drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales.
“With respect to payment for the border wall, both presidents recognise their clear and very public differences of positions on this issue but have agreed to work these differences out as part of a comprehensive discussion on all aspects of the bilateral relationship.
“Both presidents have instructed their teams to continue the dialogue to strengthen this important strategic and economic relationship in a constructive way,’’ the White House said. (NAN)
APT/KAY