Putin to meet Japanese, South Korean leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye on the sidelines of the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday and Saturday, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Putin and Abe plan to discuss on Friday "a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues, including in the political, trade-economic, energy, cultural and humanitarian spheres," a Kremlin statement said.

In a related development, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that Putin would visit Japan in December and that agendas of the trip would be discussed during the two leaders' meeting in Vladivostok.

The relationship between Moscow and Tokyo became increasingly strained after Japan slapped new sanctions on Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the crisis in eastern Ukraine, in line with steps taken by the United States and the European Union.

Russia and Japan have so far been unable to sign any peace treaty mainly due to their long-held dispute over four Pacific islands.

However, during Abe's visit to Russia in May, the two sides vowed to develop bilateral ties.

The talks between the Russian and South Korean leaders set for Saturday are expected to center on trade, culture and humanitarian issues.

The statement said the two sides are expected to sign several bilateral documents, but did not provide any details.

Moscow has repeatedly expressed its concerns over the planned U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea, saying the move would directly threaten its strategic security.

Source : XINHUA