MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Shinzo Abe has done much as Japan’s prime minister to develop relations with Russia and his resignation is regrettable, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of Russia’s State Duma lower parliament house, told TASS on Friday.

"Shinzo Abe, who is vacating the office of the Japanese prime minister, has dome very much for the development of the Russian-Japanese relations. He has to do it because of his health condition and, naturally, it is a regret," he said.

"We can only hope that Abe’s successor will continue a constructive policy towards cooperation with Russia. The problem of the peace treaty in still on the bilateral agenda and both Russia and Japan should be equally interested in achieving this goal," he added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was resigning due to his health condition. He said however he would continue as prime minister until the ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected a new leader. He vacated the office of the Japanese prime minister 13 years ago because of ulcerative colitis.