The leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea announced “tremendous progress” in cooperation between the three countries since the trilateral summit at Camp David in the United States, according to their joint statement published on the White House website.
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As the state leaders noted in the statement, this year they held joint military exercises for the first time, signed a new trilateral framework agreement on security cooperation and achieved some progress in confronting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
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“We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States of America (USA), note the tremendous progress in our trilateral cooperation one year since our historic summit,” the statement said.
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The state leaders also emphasized their commitment to holding consultations on regional issues and strengthening cooperation in the fields of security, economics, technology development and health care.
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On August 18, 2023, the first trilateral summit with the participation of the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea took place at the country residence of US President Joe Biden, Camp David.
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This was the first such face-to-face meeting of the heads of three states not on the sidelines of international events. According to documents published following the summit, the agenda of the negotiations was largely built around the search for ways to counteract Russia, China, and the DPRK. The countries also signed a commitment to conduct tripartite consultations to coordinate a plan of action in the event of threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
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The first joint exercise between Japan, the United States and South Korea, Freedom Edge, took place in the East China Sea on June 27-29. Unlike previous trilateral maneuvers, which were one-time in nature and aimed at practicing individual tasks, these exercises are complex in nature and should become regular.
