Putin, Abe to Discuss Bilateral Political, Economic Cooperation on Thursday

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia on Thursday and hold a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Kremlin press service, the sides will also consider the implementation of the agreements reached during Putin's visit to Japan in December 2016, when the two leaders in particular agreed to establish joint economic activities on the disputed Southern Kurils in a bid to create a favorable atmosphere for talks on a peace treaty between the countries. Both parties agreed to start talks regarding such spheres as fishery, tourism, culture and medicine.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed on Wednesday that Abe and Putin would mainly focus on the issues related to joint economic activities on the Southern Kurils. According to Suga, the sides will also discuss a number of international issues, including the situation on the Korean peninsula and Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

The Japanese prime minister would also meet with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin and Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

According to Japanese media, during the upcoming visit, the sides are expected to sign over 20 agreements on the economic cooperation projects in the sphere of urban environment and health services.