BEIJING, November 9 (RIA Novosti) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Sunday to discuss the outlook for the Russian leader's visit to Japan and confirm their commitment to reaching a postwar peace treaty between the two nations, Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Putin and Abe expect the exact date of the Russian president's visit [to Japan] to be agreed at the best time available for both parties," Peskov said, adding the trip was likely to take place next year.
Putin and Abe also discussed a peace agreement and the crisis in Ukraine, which has dented relations between the two countries. "Putin made a very clear comment on the Russian position, which is known," the Kremlin press secretary noted.
Peskov said the leaders agreed to continue cooperation on a wide range of issues, including "a long list of trade and economic cooperation projects that was compiled on the heels of the Japanese premier's last visit to Russia," he said.
The talks were held on the fringe of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing, where Putin also met with Chinese and Chilean leaders. Putin was cited as praising the progress in Russian-Japanese cooperation, which he said had improved in both economic and political spheres.
Putin also said he was looking forward to finally reaching a peace treaty with Japan. The two nations are yet to sign a post-WWII peace agreement after talks were derailed in the 1940s following their dispute over the Kuril Islands north of Hokkaido, which Tokyo describes as the occupied Northern Territories.
