Abe, Putin Agree to Continue Japan-Russia Dialogue

Tokyo, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin in telephone talks on Sunday agreed to continue dialogue between the two countries. They discussed Japan-Russia relations and the Ukrainian situation in the 10-minute conversation. The two sides are seen aiming to arrange a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York on the fringe of the ongoing U.N. General Assembly session. They may also seek to set up an Abe-Putin meeting on the margin of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Beijing in November. The telephone talks were held at the request of the Russian side. Russia apparently intended to figure out Japan's stance toward the country, as Tokyo is considering imposing additional sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis following similar steps taken by other Group of Seven countries. Putin's possible visit to Japan in autumn this year was also on the agenda at the leaders' phone talks, according to Japanese government sources. Japan hopes that the presidential visit will help make progress in the two countries' negotiations on their longstanding territorial dispute over four Russian-held northwestern Pacific islands, which have been claimed by Japan. But it is unclear if Putin's Japan visit will be realized, because the situation in Ukraine remains uncertain. In a related development, Abe said in a Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) program recorded on Sunday that he wants to continue "constructive dialogue" with Putin. "Concluding a Japan-Russia peace treaty will be in the national interest of Japan, and dialogue between the two countries' leaders is essential," he added. The disputed islands, located off Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II, and the territorial row has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end their wartime hostilities. In the phone conversation, Putin congratulated Abe on his 60th birthday on Sunday. END