TOKYO, June 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's conversation with the heads of the world's leading news agencies was important because amid international tensions it allowed to directly hear the Russian leader's opinion on world politics, including bilateral relations with Japan, Toshimitsu Sawai, Director General of Japan State News Agency Kyodo, who has attended the talks, told TASS.
"The situation in the world is becoming increasingly tense," he said. "In these circumstances, it was important to hear directly the Russian president's views on Russia's foreign policy, including bilateral relations with Japan, in a face-to-face conversation. We express our gratitude to TASS for organizing this meeting," he added.
Putin said during a conversation in St. Petersburg with heads of world news agencies that Russian-Japanese dialogue will be possible after Tokyo's current position on Ukraine changes. "Now there are no conditions for continuing dialogue between Russia and Japan on the peace treaty. We do not refuse to resume it, but only if the necessary conditions are created and first of all from the Japanese side," Putin said. He stressed that the Russian side, unlike Japan, had done nothing to complicate the bilateral dialogue and noted "Japan's engagement in the Ukrainian crisis."
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is held on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World."
Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event. President Putin's June 5 meeting with the heads of world news agencies was moderated by TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.