RUSSIA: Russia has stated that it is closely monitoring Japan’s unfriendly behaviour and reserves the right to beef up its defence capabilities in response.
Japan’s “baseless” objection
The remarks were made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in response to Japan’s “so-called” protest against the joint strategic air patrol by Chinese and Russian air forces on Tuesday.
“Cooperation between the Russian and Chinese militaries is an important part of the bilateral ties, and the regular joint air patrols have demonstrated a high level of mutual trust and interaction between the two armed forces,” she said.
“These patrols were conducted in strict line with international law and fully achieved the objectives of enhancing peace, stability, and security in the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world,” she continued.
Zakharova criticized Tokyo for adhering to already-established training exercises, distorting their goals and content, and incorrectly associating them to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Japan’s “so-called” objection, according to the ambassador, is “baseless and ludicrous.”
The Japanese government, according to Zakharova, is stepping up military-political collaboration with the US and non-regional outsiders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as conducting joint military exercises on a massive scale near Russia’s borders.
“Japan is attempting to join the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) trilateral security partnership, is investigating the possibility of deploying US medium- and shorter-range missiles on its soil, and is engaging in other provocative behaviour that poses a serious challenge and potential threat to Russia’s security in the Far East,” she added.
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