Putin late for summit with Japanese Prime Minister
(Baonghean.vn) - Many Japanese newspapers reported on September 11 that Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived about 2 and a half hours late for his scheduled meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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| Russian President Putin (right) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Vladivostok, Russia on September 10. Photo: EPA-EFE |
Kyodo News and Yomiuri Shimbun said the Russian leader, who is "famous" for his tardiness, kept Mr. Abe waiting during the Russia-Japan summit on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 10.
According to the above sources, Prime Minister Abe and Japanese officials are likely unhappy with Mr. Putin's late arrival.
Previously, Putin was three hours late for a summit in December 2016 in Japan.
In 2014, Putin was also late for the summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, by 4 hours and 14 minutes, and was “only” 35 minutes late for the summit with US President Donald Trump last July.
Meanwhile, according to Yonhap news agency, Mr. Putin was also late for meetings with South Korean leaders, leaving former President Park Geun-hye waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes and current President Moon Jae-in waiting for 34 minutes.
According to Japanese press sources, during the Russia-Japan summit on September 10, Mr. Abe called for an end to the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands/Northern Territories, while Mr. Putin affirmed the need to “cautiously” find a solution.
Russia’s TASS news agency also reported that Moscow and Tokyo are considering Japanese participation in liquefied natural gas projects in the Kamchatka region. Putin said that Japan “is already involved” in a liquefied natural gas project in the Irkutsk region.
