Medvedev proposes summit talks with Aso in mid-February+

TOKYO, Jan. 24 Kyodo - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Saturday holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in mid-February on Sakhalin Island, according to Japanese Foreign Ministry officials.

Medvedev was quoted as telling Aso over the phone that he plans to invite him
to a ceremony on Feb. 18 in Sakhalin to launch shipments of liquefied natural
gas from the island to Japan and that he wants to discuss ''all bilateral
issues'' with the Japanese leader.
Aso told Medvedev that he will respond after considering the proposal, the
officials said. The prime minister will take into account Diet deliberations
and other diplomatic schedules before making a decision.
Medvedev told Aso that he highly appreciates Japan's contributions to the
Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas development project off the island.
Aso was quoted as saying the project represents a typical form of reciprocal
bilateral cooperation and that the start of LNG production marks a symbolic
step in bilateral relations.
It will be the first time that Japan has imported LNG from Russia, the world's
biggest natural gas reserves holder.
The two leaders agreed to promote top-level diplomacy when they met for the
first time in Lima last November.
Japan and Russia are also arranging a visit by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin to Japan in the near future.
The Sakhalin-2 project got under way in 1994 in waters off Sakhalin funded by
Royal Dutch/Shell, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. Its total cost amounts to
about $20 billion, or 1.8 trillion yen.
The scheduled start of LNG shipments to Japan has been delayed from November
2007 due to increased costs and Russia's insistence that it take control of the
project.