Japan's Abe Offers Support to Turkey in Dealing with Russia

Paris, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that Japan wants to help Turkey improve its relationship with Russia. Standing talking with Erdogan, Abe said that he is more than willing to do anything he can in supporting Turkey to improve the relationship soured following Turkey's downing of a Russian military jet earlier this month. Abe also said he is ready to mediate between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Japanese government officials. Erdogan told Abe that he does not want to see any escalation of the situation. The Japanese prime minister said that the international community needs to display solidarity in the fight against terrorism, and the Turkish president said he fully agrees with Abe, according to the officials. Abe and Erdogan held talks for about five minutes on the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 21, in the suburbs of Paris, that started Monday. END