MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday for the Eastern Economic Forum, where he is expected to propose deeper energy cooperation, including in the spheres of renewable energy, nuclear cooperation and development of oil and gas projects. The proposal will envisage purchasing a stake in an unnamed Russian state-run oil firm, Nikkei media outlet reported.
Japan is heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil, with around 80 percent of crude imported from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and deeper energy cooperation with Russia may help the country diversity its sources of energy supplies.
The Eastern Economic Forum is set to open in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday. The forum, which is due to last through Saturday, is expected to attract some 2,500 participants, from countries including Australia, China, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States.