Putin, Abe to discuss joint activities on southern Kuril Islands - Japanese government

TOKYO, April 25. /TASS/. Issues related to the joint Russian-Japanese economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands will top the agenda of the upcoming talks between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said on Tuesday. "The negotiations are likely to focus on the joint economic activities on the four northern islands (that’s how Japan calls Russia’s southern Kuril Islands - TASS)," he noted. Suga added that the two countries’ leaders will discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s nuclear and missile program. The Kremlin press service reported earlier in the day that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 27. The two sides will discuss the implementation of the agreements reached during the Russian president’s visit to Japan on December 15-16, 2016. It is also planned to discuss the current state and prospects for political, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries. Japan’s Prime Minister put forward an eight-point cooperation plan to develop relations with Russia during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on May 6, 2016. The plan includes efforts to foster relations between Japan and Russia in the energy sector, small and medium-sized businesses, the promotion of industrialization of the Far East, expansion of the export base, as well as the proposal to boost cooperation in the cutting-edge technologies, including nuclear energy and humanitarian exchanges. Later 30 priority projects for cooperation were defined. Following the Russian president’s visit to Japan on December 15-16, 2016, and his meetings with the Japanese premier a joint statement was adopted, which said that the beginning of consultations on the joint economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands would be an important step towards signing a peace treaty by the two countries. Read more