Rubio, Japanese and South Korean Counterparts Expand Trilateral Cooperation at NATO Summit

On the margins of the NATO Summit in Ankara, Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to reinforce trilateral cooperation that advances shared economic prosperity and a free and open Indo-Pacific. The officials highlighted the growing importance of NATO’s engagement with Indo-Pacific partners on mutual challenges, including accelerating defense production, energy security, countering cyber and hybrid threats, and intelligence sharing across the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters.

The three ministers signed a memorandum of cooperation on civil nuclear energy aimed at expediting the deployment of small modular reactors in partner nations and diversifying energy imports toward U.S. sources. They noted recent progress in regional security, economic security, and critical and emerging technologies, while reiterating opposition to economic coercion and the weaponization of supply chains. The ministers committed to de-risking and diversifying critical supply chains, preserving freedom of navigation, and launching new trilateral consultations on international disaster relief.

On North Korea, the officials reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK. They pledged to strengthen coordination to deter Pyongyang’s malicious cyber operations and illicit information technology worker activities. The ministers also underscored the urgent need to resolve issues concerning abductees, detainees, unrepatriated prisoners of war, and separated families.

Regarding the Taiwan Strait, the ministers emphasized the importance of peace and stability, expressing concern over increasingly frequent destabilizing actions. They encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo, particularly by force or coercion.

The meeting reaffirmed commitments outlined in the September 22, 2025, U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral joint statement, as well as bilateral deliverables from the U.S.-Japan summit in March and the November 13, 2025, Joint Fact Sheet with the ROK. The Secretary and his counterparts committed to sustaining trilateral engagement at all levels.

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