MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. Russian State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin has said that Washington has gone so insolent that it does not even take the trouble to conceal its role of coordinator of blackmail and pressures against Russia. He offered this harsh comment on US policies at a meeting with the visiting deputy leader of Japan’s Liberal-Democratic Faction, chairman of the association of parliament members for friendship with Russia Masahiko Komura.
Naryshkin reiterated Russia’s disappointment over the fact that “our esteemed Japanese partners have joined the unlawful, counter-productive decisions by the Group of Seven regarding anti-Russian restrictions.”
“We are aware that these steps were taken under strong pressures from the United States and that Washington has gone so insolent that it makes no secret of its role in orchestrating blackmail and pressures against Russia,” he said.
Naryshkin said that such steps harmed the development of Russian-Japanese relations and either country.
“Aware of your high authority in the political and business quarters of Japan I would ask you to promote, whenever possible, the return of Russian-Japanese relations onto the normal, constructive track,” Naryshkin told Komura. “Russia and Japan have for many years shown that we can work together, constructively, to the benefit of our countries and peoples.”
For his part Komura said that Japan had taken the mentioned steps with due regard for its fundamental stance and bearing in mind that Russia was a friendly country. He added that a combination of these factors was taken into account.