TOKYO, February 2. /TASS/. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe does not expect the improvement of relations between Russia and the United States to have an impact on the dialogue between Tokyo and Moscow.
"Speaking about the relations between Russia and Japan, one should not make unfounded statements that the dialogue between Japan and Russia will stall if the relations between Russia and the U.S. improve," he said on Thursday, adding that he does not consider "the improvement of relations between Moscow and Washington to be a negative factor" for Japan.
The first telephone conversation between Russian and American presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump after Trump’s inauguration on January 28 received positive responses from both Moscow and Washington. The leaders discussed pressing international issues, including tackling terrorism, the developments in the Middle East, the Arab-Israel conflict, the strategic stability and non-proliferation area, the situation around Iran’s nuclear program and the Korean Peninsula, as well as the key aspects of the Ukrainian crisis. The priority was set on uniting efforts for tackling international terrorism as the key global threat. Presidents welcomed the intention to coordinate actions of both states aimed at defeating the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) and other terror groups in Syria. Putin and Trump also agreed to hold regular meetings.
Following the Russian President’s visit to Japan on December 15-16, 2016 and his meetings with Japanese PM a joint statement was adopted, which said that the beginning of consultations on joint economic activities on the South Kuril Islands would be an important step towards signing a peace treaty by the two neighbors.