MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2022) Alexei Chekunkov, the minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, told Sputnik on Thursday that the dialogue between Moscow and Tokyo is taking place at the working level, with Japan's companies eyeing long term cooperation with Russia.
"At the working level - yes, at the political level - no," Chekunkov said when asked whether he sees the revival of a full-fledged dialogue between Russia and Japan.
The minister said that the lack of dialogue at the political level is caused by "one country that is at war with sovereign independent countries in the Eastern hemisphere, which in the Western hemisphere acts as a colonial empire, and in the Eastern hemisphere resists the development of economies, technologies, societies, and the independent views of things of other countries."
Chekunkov added that Russia should wait for a full resumption of the dialogue.
"We are definitely ready for rapprochement if they will speak to us in pure Japanese, which expresses the interests of the Japanese people, and not in English-to-Japanese translation," the minister said, adding that "there is the official position, which is expressed and articulated by dependent people, and there are the interests of business, which continues to work, and therefore will continue to work in Russia in the long term. It (business) will survive the crisis, and we will be implementing large-scale projects together."
The minister added that delegations from Japan and South Korea, among other countries, will participate in the Eastern Economic Forum.
"Guests will be there," Chekunkov said when asked whether delegations from unfriendly countries are expected to participate in the forum, adding that "we have friends in unfriendly countries and many."
The minister said that "the Japanese, Koreans, and many other people express support, not just pragmatism and a constructive approach, but support because they themselves have lived for decades under the conditions of limited sovereignty, when a number of decisions being made not by them, not in their countries, and not in the interests of their peoples."
He added that cooperation with Russia for Japan and South Korea is a destiny since the countries are neighbors and have historical and strong economic ties.
The 7th Eastern Economic Forum 2022 will take place in the Russian city of Vladivostok from September 5-8
According to the organizers of the forum, representatives from some 40 countries are going to participate.
