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Russia not to mess around if Japan returns to cooperation – Putin

He underscored that Russia is ready to build relations with Japan "both for the next 5 and for the next 50 years"

SOCHI, November 7. /TASS/. Russians enjoy Japanese culture, Japanese food and Japan in general, and the two countries are ‘natural partners’ due to their proximity, so Moscow will not mess around if Tokyo returns to cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the plenary meeting of the Valdai international discussion club.

He underscored that Russia is ready to build relations with Japan "both for the next 5 and for the next 50 years," adding that the two countries are "natural partners" due to their geographic proximity.

"The history of our relations had different periods. There were tragic pages and there were ones that we can be proud of. People here love Japan: the Japanese culture, the Japanese food," Putin noted. "We have not destroyed anything. Draw conclusions here, and we will not mess around, play fool, push anyone away, blame you for anything - we are ready, be our guests, just come back and it will be all set.".