HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Vice President Joe Biden met with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama and Republic of Korea First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam during a trilateral meeting hosted by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) July 14.

The purpose of the trilateral meeting was to deepen coordination with the two important U.S. allies on shared regional and global priorities.

“Strengthening our mutual cooperation has been an essential part of the Obama, Biden Foreign Policy from the beginning,” Biden said. “The United States, Japan, and South Korea have been allies for decades but over the past few years we’ve made an unprecedented degree of progress in deepening and strengthening our relationship… we’ve collectively succeeded in breaking down obstacles that once barred the way to cooperation. We’re making trilateral engagements between our countries a habit, and it matters. Good habits form good relationships, and it matters.”

Biden continued with his talks by explaining how these kinds of engagements increase our combined communication effectiveness.

“In times of crunch, in times of doubt, in times of crisis it matters,” Biden said. “It matters that we know one another, it matters that we understand and can actually talk frankly to one another, not just at the presidential level but all up and down the scale of people who are consequentially making decisions.”

The Vice President then stated what the three nations need to do to move forward to ensure continued security and stability in the region.

“Now we need to ensure that we rigorously enforce the sanctions that the U.N. has imposed with your help,” Biden said. “To keep pressure for change, a goal that I know everyone in this room shares, but advancing international norms is about more than just deterring threats as you all know. It’s about upholding a liberal order that is critical to the success of all our nations.”

Deputy Secretary of State Blinken extended his gratitude to the Vice President saying, “We’re really grateful for getting this comprehensive vision from you and just for the support, encouragement and leadership for the work that we’ve been trying to do.” He also thanked the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies for hosting the event.

The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies is a U.S. Department of Defense institute that addresses regional and global security issues. The non-warfighting organization provides a focal point where military and civilian representatives of the United States and Asia-Pacific nations can gather to exchange ideas and develop professional and personal ties among national security establishments throughout the region.