TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2019) Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said on Friday that positive changes in Tokyo's relations with Moscow had been emerging.
The Japanese top diplomat and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are holding bilateral talks in Tokyo on Friday. Before being joined by their delegations, the two ministers spent more than half an hour talking tete-a-tete.
"Despite the fact that only [several] weeks have passed since our previous meeting, some positive shifts in Japan-Russia relations have been emerging," Kono said at beginning of the talks.
The Japanese diplomat also welcomed the enhancement of bilateral contacts in various areas at different levels.
"Minister Lavrov, I would like to have frank discussions with you regarding the issue of signing a peace treaty, including joint economic activities on the four Northern Islands, taking into account the Japan-Russia summit in June," Kono said.
On Thursday, the Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers held talks in the so-called 2+2 format. Despite voicing disagreements over Russia's military activities in the disputed southern Kuril islands, the diplomatic and military chiefs of the two countries noted productivity of the negotiations and reaffirmed mutual desire to further develop bilateral cooperation on security.
