Putin says he will meet with Japanese prime minister in Sochi on May 6

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sochi on May 6 will contribute to development of bilateral relations. Developing dialogue with Japan is one of Russia’s top foreign policy priorities, Putin said on Wednesday at the ceremony of accepting credentials from foreign ambassadors. "I hope that the working visit of (Japanese) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe planned for May 6 in Sochi will facilitate expansion of Russian-Japanese ties on the basis of mutual benefit and consideration of each other’s interests," Putin noted. During the annual televised Q&A session officially known as "The Direct Line with Vladimir Putin" on April 14, the Russian president said Moscow welcomes the upcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "Of course, we will be discussing all problems. In order to solve them, and we have been failing to solve them since the end of WWII, it is necessary to see all the instruments we have created function constantly. I think a compromise can and will be found one day," the Russian leader said. He said a permanent dialogue was needed for a compromise, "but at a certain stage Japan made the decision to restrict contacts with us." "In my view, this is fully at variance with interests of the Japanese state and the Japanese people," Putin went on. "But at the same time we are also seeing other things: despite pressure from their partners, in particular from the United States, our Japanese friends still seek to maintain these relations," the president concluded. Read more