Official website of the President of Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan.

At the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the comprehensive development of Russian-Japanese relations in the economic, humanitarian and political spheres. The President emphasised the need to move more actively in the international arena, including in the Asia-Pacific region, where Russia and Japan can make an important contribution to tackling the existing challenges.

When Naoto Kan expressed his disappointment over the visit Dmitry Medvedev, the President of the Russian Federation, paid to Kunashir Island, the Russian President confirmed our stand on this situation. The President alone decides on which region of the country he is to visit. This is and will remain our territory. I hope that our Japanese colleagues will adopt a more reasonable approach to this issue.

The President also said that it is best to refrain from emotional statements and diplomatic gestures because they do not help the situation but aggravate it. He also proposed to change the approach to the peace agreement issue by giving priority to the economy. The more active our economic cooperation, the stronger the foundation on which our relations can be built in the future. That is especially true since the business communities of the two countries are interested in that. That interest manifested itself on November 12 at the 4^th Russian-Japanese Investment Forum and on November 13, during a meeting between CEOs of leading companies chaired by Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich.

Our business communities are interested in healthy relations and the leaders’ task is to promote such relations. The Prime Minister [of Japan] agreed that the economy must be given priority in our relationship, and I think this is a positive outcome of the meeting.

In conclusion, the Russian President has invited the Prime Minister to visit the Russian Federation, either Moscow or any other region, including the Far East. The invitation was accepted and we will coordinate the timeframe for the visit.