MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for continuation of political dialogue and economic cooperation with Japan.
Russia's relations with its Pacific neighbor have long been strained by a territorial dispute around four islands in the Kuril chain, which the Soviet Union claimed at the end of World War II. The 60-year-old dispute has prevented the sides from signing a peace treaty that would formally end hostilities.
Speaking at a conference at the Foreign Ministry, Putin said, "In relations with Japan, the line toward continuing political dialogue and boosting economic cooperation is completely justified while maintaining a principled approach toward a peace treaty and a sincere desire to see it concluded."
In April, an official with the Japanese Embassy in Moscow said Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi would hold a bilateral meeting when leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations convene for a St. Petersburg summit in July.
