BRUSSELS, May 7 -- Negotiations on Strategic Partnership Agreement and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are the "highlight" issues on at the 22nd EU-Japan Summit, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Wednesday.

The ongoing twin negotiations for a Strategic Partnership Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement, launched in April 2013, are at the center of a nine-day visit of Abe to six European Union (EU) member states.

In his opening remarks for the summit held here Wednesday, Van Rompuy said the summit will give political momentum to closer EU-Japan cooperation on security issues.

The EU and Japan are seeking to engage in concrete cooperation related to ongoing EU crisis management missions and operations in support of several African countries.

"We are moving towards a significantly strengthened security partnership," Van Rompuy said.