MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe will visit Russia in 2018 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, particularly to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Friday.
"We expect all those efforts (aimed at expansion of bilateral cooperation - TASS) to contribute much to the next visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Russian Federation, which will follow the invitation of Russian President, particularly to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum," he said.
"We have agreed to continue meetings between foreign ministers to ensure proper preparatory work for the visit of Japanese PM," Lavrov added.
Leaders of Russia and Japan last met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam’s Danang on November 10.