Russian, Japanese experts to continue talks on peace agreement
MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - Russia and Japan will continue the political dialogue over a peace agreement, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said at a briefing in Moscow.
He was commenting on the bilateral talks held by Russian President Vladimir Putin with other countries' leaders on the margins of the G20 summit in Mexico.
In particular, he mentioned the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
"As regards the subject of the peace treaty, Yoshihiko Noda touched upon this topic quite expectedly. The parties expressed mutual understanding that further dialogue on this sensitive issue should be built in a calm, constructive atmosphere, while trying to avoid attempts to impact the negotiating process through public and often unrestrained statements," Ushakov said.
At the meeting, the Japanese prime minister called for the talks to continue at the level of experts, while Putin, for his part, "ordered the Russian Foreign Ministry to continue the political dialogue on this subject," Ushakov said.
This was the first meeting between the Russian president and the Japanese prime minister, who had until then spoken only by telephone, he said.
"Much attention at the meeting was paid to the trade and economic cooperation. Putin stressed that the current bilateral trade - around $30 billion per year - does not match the available potential, and there are big growth opportunities," Ushakov said.
Other issues discussed at the bilateral meeting included Syria, which was on the agenda of all bilateral meetings, the presidential aide said.
Putin and Noda agreed to meet on the sidelines of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, Ushakov added.
