Prime Minister Abe is eager to meet President Putin in Singapore

Russian President Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Abe. Photo: TASS

Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, said that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Singapore to attend the ASEAN Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Papua New Guinea from November 14-18. Accordingly, the Japan-Russia summit is expected to take place in Singapore, but the specific time has not been determined.

"This meeting plays a very important role in Japan-Russia relations," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized, adding that the meeting will provide a number of appropriate proposals for the negotiation process on resolving the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan, which is an issue that still exists in bilateral relations.

For decades, Japan and Russia have been trying to sign a peace treaty, but have not yet achieved the expected results. The main reason for the obstacle is that the two countries have not reached an agreement regarding a group of four islands that both claim sovereignty over, including Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, which Russia calls the Southern Kuril Islands and Japan calls the Northern Territories.

Previously, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will make his first visit to Singapore from November 13-15, attend the ASEAN Summit held from January 11-15, and attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) taking place on November 14 and 15.

On the sidelines of the conferences, the Russian leader will also have bilateral meetings with leaders of countries such as: South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.