TOKYO, October 19 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia and Japan have begun the work on the text of a joint statement that may be signed during Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's visit to Moscow.
It is one of the main issues of the consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries, which are held in Tokyo this Friday with the participation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and his Japanese counterpart Akitaka Saiki.
The diplomats exchange views on a wide range of issues, from economic ties to the peace treaty problem, which are discussed in the preparation for the premier's planned visit that may be paid next December.
In recent time, Russia and Japan actively developed their political dialogue and economic relations. In 2011, the bilateral trade turnover exceeded the pre-crisis indices and reached dlrs 30 billion, and the growth trend remains this year -- the trade volume amounted to dlrs 14.6 billion in the first half of this year, 5.2 percent higher as compared to last year's January-June period.
Tokyo took active steps in recent time to resume the dialogue with Russia over the Southern Kuriles and the problem of signing of a peace treaty. It is the only serious disagreement in Japanese-Russian relations at present.
The agreement to hold consultations between deputy foreign ministers was reached on September 8 during the bilateral meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Premier Yoshihiko Noda at the APEC summit in Vladivostok. During the meeting, Putin invited the Japanese premier to visit Russia this year. Noda is expected to make the trip in December. The last time, an official visit by a Japanese premier to Russia was paid nine years ago.