Russia Hopes to Continue Cooperation With New Japanese PMRussian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said Wednesday that Moscow hopes that Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will continue the policy of advancing close cooperation with Russia in all spheres.Meanwhile, Losyukov expressed his deep regret over the grave condition of former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who was taken to hospital after a massive stroke and is now in a coma. "Keizo Obuchi contributed much to the advancement of Russian-Japanese relations," Losyukov said. "We hope that the new premier is determined on continuing close ties with Russia." The Interfax news agency quoted Losyukov as saying that signals from Tokyo indicate that the new prime minister is encouraging diplomats to keep such close ties with Russia on track. He also said the upcoming informal Russian-Japanese summit "fits into the dialogue and cooperation between the two countries." The new Japanese prime minister is scheduled to come to Russia on April 28-30 for the informal summit, but the specific venue has not been decided yet. "We regard this as a manifestation of the willingness of the Japanese leadership to move in the same direction as (it did) under Obuchi--toward the development of close cooperation with Russia in all directions," Losyukov said. |
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