The Kremlin said on Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might visit one of Russia’s regions before a forthcoming visit by President Vladimir Putin to Japan.
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The two leaders discussed other issues, such as the possibility of concluding a peace treaty between the two countries that would formally end their World War II hostilities.
Even after they rescheduled the envisioned visit by Putin to during 2015 at their summit in November last year, it is now set to be postponed until next year or later. “Putin and Abe agreed to continue work to agree the date of this visit via diplomatic channels so that it could take place in a foreseeable future”, Peskov said.
The leaders compared notes over the issue of the Northern Territories, called the Southern Kurils in Russian Federation, based on a 2013 agreement to seek a settlement acceptable to both sides, Seko said.
In the 30-minute meeting, held at the venue of the G-20 meeting, Abe and Putin only confirmed that preparations for Putin’s visit to Japan will be made so that he can visit at the most appropriate time.
Abe had tried to realize a visit by Putin by the end of this year, but Japanese officials backpedaled on the idea after Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited the islands in July.
“The prime minister said that Japan-China relations as a whole see gradual improvement”, Yasuhisa Kawamura told reporters at a briefing on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Turkey, which Abe is attending.
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Japan joined the United States and European countries in placing sanctions on Russian Federation in protest of the unilateral annexation of Crimea, saying the worldwide community will not tolerate any change in status quo by use of force.
