BRUSSELS, July 6 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday the alliance would deepen its maritime and cyber security cooperation with Japan after his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at NATO headquarters here.
Calling Japan NATO's long-standing partner from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, Stoltenberg praised Japan's contributions to NATO's missions in Afghanistan and Somalia.
"In the future, we could also look into further maritime cooperation and expand our dialogue on security challenges. We should seek to deepen our cyber defense cooperation, where NATO sees Japan as a key partner," he said at the joint press conference.
The two also discussed the Korean Peninsula issue.
The NATO chief urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to comply with its international obligations and "engage in real dialogue with the international community."
Abe said he had invited Stoltenberg to visit Japan this year.
