Abe, Putin To Meet in Russia

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok in early September, Japan's Kyodo News agency reported Friday. The two leaders will hold talks on September 2 on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, Kyodo reported. 

    Putin and Abe are likely to discuss a possible meeting in Japan, a plan the two countries have been trying to realize by the end of the year, the report said. Abe is seeking to resolve a longstanding territorial spat between the two countries. 

    Japan claims the Russian-controlled Kuril Islands off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, calling them the Northern Territories. They consist of three islands and one group of islets. The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty.

Source: QNA