Japan protests to Russia over shooting at its fishing boats.

TOKYO, January 31 (Itar-Tass) - The Japanese Foreign Ministry lodged a
protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo on Saturday after Russian Coast
Guards shot at two Japanese fishing vessels near the Kunashir island (the
Southern Kurile Islands) on December 29.
Yasuaki Tanizaki, the Foreign Ministry's European Affairs chief, told
Russian Ambassador Mikhail Bely by telephone that the actions of Russian
border guards could have led to loss of life. He described those actions
as totally unacceptable.
Mr. Tanizaki claims that the boats were fishing in an area agreed on
by the two countries.
A public relations group of the Sakhalin Coast Guard department of the
Russian Federal Security Service reported on Saturday that Russian border
guards had shot at two Japanese fishing vessels at 13:20 Sakhalin time
(06:20 Moscow time) on December 29. The vessels identified as Taka Maru 58
and Kiyomi Maru 63 were suspected of operating illegally in Russia's
exclusive economic zone near the Kunashir Island and refused to stop for
inspection.
By the time Russian patrol ships arrived at the spot, both Japanese
vessels with fifteen fishermen onboard had managed to leave Russia's
territorial waters. No one was hurt in the shooting incident but the
Japanese vessels received twenty bullet holes.

.Vietnamese FM praises cooperation with Russia.

HANOI, January 31 (Itar-Tass) - Vietnam and Russia successfully
develop cooperation in various spheres such as education, culture, science
and technology, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, the
vice-premier of the Vietnamese government, told Itar-Tass on the occasion
of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between
Vietnam and Russia.
He said that Russia made major contribution to training qualified
personnel and development of human resources in Vietnam.
"At the moment, Russia annually grants approximately 30 scholarships
to Vietnamese students and post-graduates. About 5,000 Vietnamese
nationals study in Russian educational establishments," the Vietnamese
foreign minister went on to say.
Pham Gia Khiem said that Russia and Vietnam were considering the
opening of a joint Vietnamese-Russian International Technological
University that would give a powerful impetus to cooperation in science
and education. Besides, the Vietnamese foreign minister believes that
Hanoi and Moscow should draw up and conclude several bilateral
inter-governmental agreements on cooperation in education, space
exploration and protection of intellectual property.
Cultural cooperation such as festivals of Russian culture in Vietnam
and festivals of Vietnamese culture in Russia play a vital role in
strengthening mutual understanding.
The Vietnamese foreign minister also noted successful development of
regional ties and tourism.
Vietnam and Russia have every opportunity and conditions to deepen
their partnership in all directions and ensure its further stable growth.
The Vietnamese foreign minister said that multi-dimensional
cooperation between Vietnam and Russia would continue to develop to the
benefit of the people of the two countries and for the sake of stability
and development in the region and the whole world.
In the meantime, Vietnam's President Nguyen Min Chiet and Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Zung have congratulated Russian leaders on the
occasion of the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations
between Vietnam and Russia that was marked on January 30.
"Over the six decades that have passed since Hanoi and Moscow
established official relations, Vietnam and Russia have made substantial
progress in the development of friendly ties and all-round interaction,"
the Vietnamese leaders said in their telegrams of greeting.
They emphasized that the Vietnamese people would always remember
political support and enormous economic and military assistance which
Russia gave to them in the struggle for the freedom and independence of
their homeland and also in peaceful construction and the country's
development.
The Vietnamese president and prime minister noted that the two
countries were determined to strengthen and develop bilateral partnership.
"This contributes to expansion of bilateral ties in all areas of
cooperation from politics and economy to defence, security, culture,
science and education," the telegrams of greeting say.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
sent telegrams of greeting to their Vietnamese counterparts on Saturday.

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