Russian, Japanese ministers to discuss confidence-building measures at 2+2 talks

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. The Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers will discuss confidence-building measures in the military-political sphere at a two-plus-two meeting in Moscow on July 31, Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin informed TASS on Thursday. "During the upcoming two-plus-two meeting, [the parties] will discuss, first and foremost, issues related to confidence-building measures between Russia and Japan, including in the military-political sphere," he said. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier said the meeting would be held on July 31 in Moscow. The first two-plus-two Russian-Japanese meeting was held in Tokyo on November 2, 2013. However, negotiations were frozen because of the Ukrainian crisis and Tokyo’s decision to join anti-Russian sanctions. A decision on a new meeting was made during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan in December 2016. It took place in Tokyo in March 2017. Read more