TOKYO, May 31. (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Japan will be a significant move for promoting bilateral relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said upon his arrival in Tokyo.
"We agree that Mr. Putin's visit is meant to give a new impulse to the development of mutually beneficial Russian-Japanese cooperation, to become an important step towards building a creative partnership, he said.
The main task of the minister's visit and forthcoming talks in Japan is to continue preparations for Mr. Putin's official visit to the country, he explained.
"We hope to continue a deep and efficient discussion on a broad range of issues concerning the organization and practical content of the summit," Mr. Lavrov said.
He recalled that this year Russia and Japan celebrated the 150th anniversary since the establishment of inter-state relations between the two countries.
"I believe this is a good reason for a comprehensive discussion on the outlook for further development of bilateral relations," he said.
Topical international problems will also be on the agenda, he added.
"We will outline the ways for deepening Russian-Japanese cooperation within the G8, the UN and the APR structures to settle the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the minister said.
Mr. Lavrov also met Japanese ex prime minister Yoshiro Mori. The meeting was attended by Shinzo Abe, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
When asked whether the timeframe for Mr. Putin's visit had been discussed, Mr. Abe answered negatively.
Right now Mr. Lavrov is meeting Yukio Hatoyama, chairman of the Russia-Japan society.
