NATO will continue to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, Azernews reports.

Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing Secretary General of NATO, said this in an interview with the "Yomiuri" newspaper.

"We have to make our partnership meaningful," Stoltenberg said.

According to him, it is about strengthening cooperation in areas such as arms control, technology development, and the fight against cyber attacks.

Speaking about the prospects of opening the NATO office in Tokyo, the Secretary General said that a decision will not be made at the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance to be held in July.

In recent years, Japan has been actively expanding its cooperation with NATO. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has already attended the alliance summits twice. The permanent representation of Japan operates at the headquarters of NATO in Brussels.