MOSCOW, January 28 (Itar-Tass) — Russia and Japan will intensify cooperation in innovation and nuclear energy, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday.
Commenting on the results of the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba, the ministry said, “The ministers noted the importance of further strengthening of a qualitatively new positive atmosphere in Russian-Japanese relations due to bilateral cooperation to cope with the consequences of the March 11, 2011 tragic events in Japan.”
“The parties confirmed readiness to promote an active and constructive political dialogue between Russia and Japan, primarily at a high level,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, “stepping up trade and economic cooperation was one of the priorities at the talks.”
“The ministers lauded efforts to reach the pre-crisis level of trade turnover [about 30 billion U.S. dollars] and called for intensifying cooperation by riveting attention to modernisation, innovation, energy and investments. They especially focused on the strengthening of cooperation in Siberia and the Far East,” the ministry said.
”The parties noted the expansion of possibilities for developing cooperation in nuclear energy, primarily due to the recent ratification of a bilateral agreement on nuclear interaction by the Japanese parliament. It was decided to strengthen cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,” the ministry said.