Official website of the President of Russia

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Vladimir Putin: Russian-Japanese relations are now better than they have been since before World War II. We appreciate this very much and are determined to expand bilateral relations in the future.

My current visit demonstrates that Russia is ready to expand multi-faceted relations with its neighbour on the basis of previous agreements, primarily the 1998 Declaration.

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and I will take advantage of all our countries’ previous achievements. My friendly personal relations with the Japanese Prime Minister will also serve as a solid foundation for our work.

I want to thank the Government of Japan, the Prime Minister and the people of Japan for this warm-hearted reception.

Arigato (“Thank you” in Japanese).