Abe Discloses to Poroshenko Agenda of Upcoming Talks With Putin

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday and revealed the agenda of the upcoming talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the ministry, Abe told Poroshenko that he intended to discuss the prospects of issues related to the bilateral peace treaty with Putin.

Putin is expected to visit Japan on December 15-16. The countries are expected to sign agreements in a wide range of areas, including economy, culture, science and humanitarian issues.

Abe and Poroshenko also discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Japanese leader called for implementation of the Minsk agreements by all sides, the ministry said.

The Russian-Japanese relations are tainted by the territorial dispute between the two countries. Japan lays claims to four Kuril Islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai and Iturup, which Russia considers to be its own territory, according to the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty that transferred the control of the islands to the Soviet Union. The dispute prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a peace treaty after World War II.