Russian, Japanese Diplomats to Lay Groundwork for Putin's Visit

Russian Foreign Minister and his Japanese counterpart will prepare this week for the President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Japan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida will prepare this week a substantial agenda for President Vladimir Putin's visit to Japan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"Fumio Kishida's trip to Moscow will sum up a series of bilateral contacts in political, economic, humanitarian and other areas in 2016, and will set the final stage of preparation for the forthcoming official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan," the ministry said in a statement.

Kishida is expected in Moscow on Friday and Saturday. Putin is scheduled to visit Japan on December 15.

"During the talks, the ministers will touch on the issues of the peace treaty. Bilateral dialogue on this topic continues in accordance with the leaders' agreement," the ministry said.

Morevoer, Russia and Japan have agreed to prepare a memorandum on cooperation on cybersecurity to be signed during a high-level visit, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"Expert dialogue on cybersecurity is an important cooperation in this sector. On November 10, Russia-Japan specialized inter-ministerial consultations took place in Moscow. The sides agreed to prepare a corresponding memorandum for signing during a high-level visit," the ministry said in a statement.