09 January 2003 00:00
RIA NOVOSTI INTERVIEW WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO ON RUSSO-JAPANESE RELATIONS ON THE EVE OF A RUSSIAN VISIT BY JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI
27-09-01-2003
Question: Could you, please, comment on the present stage of the development of Russo-Japanese relations?
Answer: Our relations with Japan, our Far-Eastern neighbour, a G-8 member and one of the largest economies of the world, are a priority of Russian foreign policy. Over the past few years, Russo-Japanese contacts have been characterised by increasingly active dynamics of the political dialogue, enhanced mutual understanding and the similarity of approaches to the resolution of many international and regional problems.
We regard the development of cooperation with Japan in the international arena as an essential aspect in improving bilateral relations and enhancing stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region and in the whole world.
Over the past period, Russo-Japanese relations have experienced drastic positive changes based on the implementation by the Russian leadership of a policy of democratic and market reforms with the consistent support from the Japanese government, and on Tokyo's aspiration to acquire a more independent and ambitious position in the world affairs. Thus, our relations with Japan have been developing in a brand-new format characterised by mutual adherence to universal democratic values, the absence of ideological and military confrontation, the Japanese side's no longer linking of the expansion of bilateral contacts to unsolved problems, the deep mutual interest in co-operating in the international arena in the post-confrontation period.
The basic principles of developing bilateral relations have been co-ordinated at the summit level. They are mutual understanding, mutual advantage, the long-term nature and close economic co-operation.
Question: What are the priorities of the Russo-Japanese dialogue in international issues?
Answer: The constructive dialogue on the key issues of bilateral relations, global and regional problems preconditions the major directions of efforts to be taken to further expand contacts in various spheres with a view to enhancing mutual understanding and consolidating the basis of co-operation between Russia and Japan. The more active co-operation between the two countries in solving the topical problems of the world politics will give a start to a brand-new stage of bilateral contacts on the way to real partnership.
The agenda of global and regional issues includes the development of Russo-Japanese interaction in the fight against international terrorism and a joint search for answers to other international threats; issues of disarmament, including the enhancing of multilateral regimes of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the implementation of the concept of global partnership within the G-8 in the sphere of the disposal of nuclear arms; the situation in the Korean peninsula, around Iraq, in Central Asia and in the Middle East.
At present, Russia and Japan have more issues on which their positions are close or coincide than unsolved problems and differences.
Question: Have any positive trends taken shape in dealing with such a complicated problem as the conclusion of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan?
Answer: Now that Russia and Japan, members of the club of developed countries, are no longer separated by the political confrontation line and there are many factors for our rapprochement in the international arena, we have much more opportunities to approach the discussion of a peace agreement in a more business-like manner without abstract emotional rhetoric. All this creates a constructive basis for the dialogue.
Question: How are Russo-Japanese relations progressing in the trade-economic sphere?
Answer: In 2002, bilateral trade made some 2 billion dollars. The traditional items of Russian export to Japan are fish and seafood, aluminium, lumber and timber, palladium and platinum, as well as carbon, rolled ferrous metals, chemicals, nickel and black oil. Both countries need new schemes of trade-economic co-operation that would meet their modern political and economic demands. It is necessary to determine what kind of support the two governments should give to business circles so that to promote their interest in interaction, etc. The directions of developing and improving the contractual-legal base of trade-economic contacts are being considered, in particular, the development of a cooperation development programme in the energy sphere, initiated by Russia at the Irkutsk summit in March 2001; the work over the formation of organisational mechanisms for co-operation in bilateral trade and investments; the search for opportunities to reach new agreements in the sphere of atomic energy, transport, communications, information technologies, the exploration of space, etc.
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