VLADIVOSTOK, September 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he discussed the peace treaty issue and the joint activity on the southern Kuril Islands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"Of course, [during the talks with Abe] we raised the issue of a peace treaty, discussed the possibilities of joint economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands," the president said after the talks.
According to Putin, the two counties’ Foreign Ministries had selected a number of promising projects ready for implementation, including in the field of aquaculture, wind energy, greenhouse business, waste recycling and package tours.
The Russian president also recalled that Russia had eased requirements for Japanese citizens visiting their relatives’ graves on the southern Kuril Islands. "Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions, a direct flight planned for the purpose was impossible," he noted. "We intend to organize a similar trip this month. I hope the weather will not let us down this time."
Putin stressed that his negotiations with Abe "were meaningful and quite useful, including in light of further development of bilateral cooperation in many areas.".
Shinzo Abe has said he is determined to sign the peace treaty. "The most important thing for Japanese-Russian relations is to sign a peace treaty. President Putin said this during his visit to Japan," Abe said. "This time, we are full of determination that we will sign the peace treaty."
The Japanese prime minister vowed that an active effort in this direction will continue.