Hayashi seeks Kazakhstan’s cooperation over Ukraine

Jiji Press

16:27 JST, April 30, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, in talks with his counterpart of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, on Friday, sought the Central Asian country’s cooperation in responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re seeing a serious situation that is shaking the foundation of the international order,” Hayashi said in the talks, held in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. “The international community needs to handle the situation in a cooperative fashion.”

Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan is ready to make diplomatic efforts toward achieving a peaceful resolution.

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, has close ties with Russia.

Also in the talks, Hayashi and Tleuberdi confirmed that their countries will work together in efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and in responding to North Korea’s accelerated nuclear and missile development.

Hayashi then visited Uzbekistan and held talks with the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in Tashkent, the capital city. The president said Uzbekistan supports Japan’s bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.