Putin Says Discussed Post-WWII Peace Treaty With Japanese Prime Minister Abe

"We have discussed the peace treaty during the talks. I believe it is important to continue patiently searching for the solution, which would meet strategic interests of Russia and Japan, and which would be accepted by the peoples of both countries," Putin stated following the meeting with Abe.

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The Russian president added that Moscow and Tokyo were satisfied with the implementation of agreements on joint economic activities on the Kuril Islands.

"We have discussed the implementation of agreements on joint economic activities on the Southern Kuril Island. We are satisfied with the state of dialogue on five previously approved areas," Putin stated.

He also said that a Japanese business mission will visit the Kuril Island in the second half of this year.

"We have supported the proposal to send the third Japanese business mission on the islands in the second half of this year. We will … facilitate visits of these islands by Japanese citizens," he added.

Japanese-Russian relations have long been complicated by the fact that the two nations never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II. The deal was never reached because of a disagreement over a group of four Kuril Islands — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai — that are claimed by both countries. They are collectively referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan.

On Situation Around Korean Peninsula

Russia and Japan are interested in the Korean peninsula remaining peaceful, diplomacy and restraint are important in this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"When discussing topical international issued, we have paid special attention to the situation around the Korean peninsula, reaffirmed our interest in this region remaining peaceful. We believe that all participants of the [settlement] process should show restraint, should not allow for new escalation and should generally keep the situation within the political and diplomatic framework," Putin said at a press conference.

Abe, in turn, said that he had had a detailed discussion on this issue with Putin.

"The most important thing is for North Korea to carry out full, verifiable, irrevocable denuclearization, as stated in the UNSC Resolution. In order for North Korea to move in the right direction, Japan and Russia will keep in close contact," Abe said.

In April, North Korea's Kim Jong-un and South Korea's Moon Jae-in held a historic summit in the "truce village" of Panmunjom. The two officials signed a joint declaration, agreeing to take measures to support international efforts aimed at denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and proceed with reunion programs for the separated Korean families.