<Peace treaty negotiations>

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono: It is not easy to resolve issues that have been left unaddressed for over 70 years after the end of World War II and it does not mean that today’s negotiations have resulted in closing the gap between the two countries. It has become important to tenaciously hold negotiations for steady progress. The negotiations occasionally grew heated, but we were able to hold thorough and frank discussions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: It is not easy to reach an agreement that is supported and accepted by the people of the two nations. To hold negotiations based on the Japan-Soviet joint declaration means that Japan accepts the outcome of World War II.

<Japan-U.S. alliance>

Lavrov: We noted the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in Japan. U.S. military activity is a threat to Russia.

<Joint economic activities>

Kono: We will hold a director-level working meeting on the legal aspects on May 20 and a director-general-level working meeting on “movements of people” on May 21. We agreed to demonstrate to each other flexibility and to act in a constructive fashion for the early implementation of projects.

Lavrov: We have assessed our past consultations positively and held detailed discussions on joint economic activities. We agreed to give shape to projects of cooperation.