Japan hopes to resume territorial problem talks with Russia
MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - Tokyo hopes that the upcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia will propel the resumption of the territorial problem negotiations.
The Japanese Embassy in Moscow posted a report regarding the latest meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Monday. "Kishida pointed to three themes of the Russian visit of the prime minister: construction of a personal confidence-based relationship between Prime Minister S. Abe and President Vladimir Putin, appointment of the general vector of Japan-Russia relations and resumption of the negotiations on the Northern Territories," the report said.
Japan calls the "Northern Territories" the four South Kuril islands which it claims from Russia.
At his meeting with Lavrov "Kishida stressed the importance of achieving talks during the Russian visit of Prime Minister S. Abe. To reach an agreement to resume the negotiations on the problem of the Northern Territories - the main unsettled problem in the bilateral relations," the Embassy said.
"There was an exchange of opinions about that issue," the report said.
"Kishida noted that the Japanese prime minister ascribed a great importance to relations with Russia and expressed his personal certainty that promotion of cooperation in all spheres, among them security and the economy, would serve the national interests of both countries," it said.
It was reported earlier that the Japanese prime minister would visit Russia in the end of April.
Abe told the Japanese parliament in early March he hoped that his Russian visit would give a fresh impetus to Japan-Russia relations.
