TOKYO, January 29. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Mikhail Galuzin has held meetings with officials in Japan’s northern Hokkaido Prefecture, discussing the prospects for boosting its ties with Russian regions, the Russian consulate in Sapporo said in a statement on Telegram on Saturday.
According to the statement, Japanese officials "expressed interest in boosting mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields such as economy, medicine, education, sports, youth contacts, science and technologies, issues that winter cities face and fishing." They also showed interest in stepping up joint efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Russian envoy "highlighted the importance of regional exchanges as one of the key aspects of bilateral relations." He also emphasized the need to ensure the comprehensive development of Russian-Japanese relations based on the agreements reached at the highest level. It is about "political dialogue, trade and investment cooperation, efforts to enhance confidence-building measures in the field of security, closer coordination in international affairs, cultural and humanitarian exchanges, regional, sporting and educational ties. At the same time, when discussing peace treaty issues, the parties need to develop a more constructive atmosphere based on mutual trust.