Japanese foreign minister hopes for resumption of peace treaty talks

TOKYO, September 20 /TASS/. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida who left for an official visit to Russia on Sunday hopes he will be able to resume a dialogue on the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries. "I expect complicated negotiations on northern territories /this is how Russia-owned south Kuril Islands are called in Japan/ but I hope to find the key to resuming a dialogue on the conclusion of a peace treaty. I also hope it will be the next step to President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan," Kishida told journalists at Narita airport prior to his departure. On Saturday, Japanese Foreign Ministry employee told TASS that he intended to hold negotiations on a wide range of issues with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including the south Kuril Islands, and Ukraine. "Minister Kishida is planning to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on a wide range of bilateral issues, including the northern territories, and international problems such as Ukraine. The bilateral inter-governmental commission on trade and economy in which Russia’s First Vice-Premier Igor Shuvalov is expected to take part will meet in Moscow on September 22," the ministry employee said. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida will focus on promotion of negotiations for concluding a peace treaty between Russia and Japan, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "Japanese Foreign Minister [Fumio] Kishida's working visit to Russia will take place on September 20 to 22," the Russian Foreign Ministry said." His talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are scheduled for the visit as well as [Kishida’s] participation in the ninth session of the Russian-Japanese intergovernmental commission on trade and economy." "During the upcoming meeting, the ministers will exchange views on the whole range of bilateral agenda and focus on topical international issues of mutual interest," the ministry said in a commentary. "Issues related to the negotiation process aimed at conclusion of the peace treaty are due to be on the table. The Russian side clearly accentuates that the promotion in this aspect cannot be possible if Japan fails to recognize the post-war historic realities," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Also, Lavrov and Kishida will discuss bilateral cooperation aimed at ensuring global and regional security. "Along with bilateral dialogue formats, including a mechanism of Russian-Japanese consultations between Security Councils, which have been in effect since March 2014, the Russian-Japanese project, which was held under the auspices of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, on training Afghan drug police at the Russian Interior Ministry’s Domodedovo Staff Training Institute has been successfully implemented," the commentary said. "The ministers are expected to exchange views on steps for tightening cooperation in this sphere," the ministry stressed. Read more