Abe seen visiting Estonia, nearby countries next month

June 18, 2017

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Estonia, Denmark, Finland and Sweden next month after attending a Group of 20 summit in Germany on July 7-8, informed sources said Saturday. With Estonia set to hold the rotating European Union presidency in the second half of this year, Abe hopes to have talks there on the ongoing Japan-EU negotiations on a proposed economic partnership agreement, as well as resources development in the Arctic, according to the sources. Abe planned to stop over in the region during his trip to Russia and Britain in late April. But he dropped the plan in order to focus on his government's response to North Korean missile launches. On the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Abe hopes to hold bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders. (Jiji Press)