03 May 2016•Update: 07 May 2016
BRUSSELS
Japan's prime minister said Tuesday that he wants to conclude a free trade agreement with the European Union by the end of the year.
In a joint press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk before an EU-Japan leaders' meeting, Premier Shinzo Abe said that the international community should set a common agenda to deal with terrorism, economic issues, and the refugee crisis.
"I want to strengthen economic relations between Japan and the EU, and I want to conclude a free trade agreement between Japan and the EU by the end of the year," Abe said before the leaders’ working dinner in Brussels.
Japan and EU have been in negotiations for a free trade agreement since March 2013, and both sides held the 16th round of talks last month in Japan.
The EU's Juncker said that he was confident that Japan and the EU can seal the agreement before the end of this year. "Our negotiations have progressed but now we must finish the job. I am confident we can do this before the end of this year," he said.
"Our agreement will not only boost growth and jobs in Europe and Japan but also send a positive signal to the rest of the world," Juncker told journalists before the meeting.
Tusk said that they would review progress in bilateral relations and provide a clear political path to negotiators over a free trade agreement.
"I hope we can conclude the negotiations … in the near future." Tusk said before talking with Abe about the free trade agreement.
