"We could develop exchanges between the former residents [of the South Kuril islands] and people, who live there at the moment, could overcome misunderstandings, build trust and develop cooperation," Abe said at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moreover, Russian and Japan have been able to find a way to strengthen mutual trust and to develop bilateral cooperation, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added.
"After the end of [World] War [II] different developments [in bilateral relations], including the sad ones, have taken place. But we have been able to find a way to strengthen trust and to develop cooperation in different spheres successfully," Abe said at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tokyo.
He added that the trust between Moscow and Tokyo was important to find solutions to the problem issues between the two sides.