Belgium is doing everything to make Brussels safe for tourists and business travellers, Prime Minister Charles Michel on Wednesday told his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, who is here on an official visit.
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“Today the leaders were able to review in detail how it [joint 2013 statement on developing of Moscow-Tokyo partnership] is being implemented in all directions and sectors – political, trade and economical, investment, and humanitarian”.
“British membership is also best for Japanese investment in the UK”, Mr Abe said.
Russian Federation has angered Japan recently by building new modern compounds for its troops stationed on two of the disputed islands.
But the two sides didn’t sign any documents, nor hold a joint press conference after Friday’s meeting.
Apparently concerning visits by Russian ministers to the northern territories, Abe told Putin: “Both Japan and Russia should refrain from making comments or taking actions that could hurt each other’s national sentiments”.
The two leaders on Friday discussed a long-planned visit by Mr Putin to Japan this year, but did not announce a date.
“Britain’s friends around the world, including Japan, will be watching your decision on June 23 with very close attention”, Abe said.
Last month US President Barack Obama said Britain being in the European Union magnified its global influence, and outside the bloc it would go to the “back of the queue” when it came to signing trade deals.
He said Abe’s visit was an opportunity to work together on issues of mutual interest.
Mr Abe will later this month host a summit of the Group of Seven advanced industrial countries, from which Russian Federation has been excluded over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
“Evidently Japan will try to act as a kind of middleman in the talks process between Russia and the United States”, the Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta said on Thursday.
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“This is a complex, multi-faceted issue that can only be resolved in a manner acceptable to both sides through an even deeper partnership between the two countries”, Mr Putin’s chief foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said ahead of the visit.
