Japan Asks African Nations to Cooperate over Ukraine

Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Saturday asked African nations to cooperate so that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia will end early.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the supplies of energy and food, Hayashi told a two-day online ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, that began on Saturday.

It is important for the international community to be fully united, he said, underlining the significance of protecting the basic principles that the community is based on.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted two resolutions over the Russian invasion. But only about half of Africa's 54 nations voted for the resolutions.

The online ministerial meeting has brought together representatives of about 50 countries. It precedes the eighth TICAD summit to be held in Tunisia in August.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]