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Russia, Japan hold five-hour “frank” dialogue - FM

TOKYO, February 1 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and Japan had a five-hour intensive and frank exchange of views in Tokyo, Japan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sinsuke Sugiyama said following bilateral consultations with visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

“If I say we have found no common ground, so what did we discuss during the five hours then?” Sugiyama told Itar-Tass.

He added he could not go into detail, but said the talks dwelled upon a peace treaty between Russia and Japan.

“We have had an intensive, multifaceted and frank discussion of the issue, including historical and legal aspects,” said Sugiyama.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s official visit to Moscow last April concluded in an accord to speedup negotiations about the peace treaty and arrange consultations between the two countries’ deputy foreign ministers. The first meeting of this kind followed in August.

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