TOKYO. May 30 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said he hopes that the Defense Ministries of Russia and Japan can contribute to the development of the two countries' constructive dialogue, which has made serious headway recently.
"It is important to determine what contribution our Defense Ministries can make to the development of constructive contacts between our countries. I'd like to note that Russian-Japanese relations have made considerable progress recently," Shoigu said at bilateral talks with Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Thursday.
"Moscow and Tokyo are holding active dialogue," he said.
Regular meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have been playing a key role in bolstering the positive atmosphere between the two countries, Shoigu said.
"I am confident that our talks will help further strengthen our partnership relations and develop mutually beneficial cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the two countries," he said.
Shoigu thanked Iwaya for the invitation to visit Japan and for the warm welcome.
Shoigu also said he is pleased that 2+2 consultations between the defense and foreign ministers of Russia and Japan have become traditional. The previous such talks took place in Moscow last year.
"We have been given an important task today to bring bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level, which will help look for mutually acceptable solutions to the most sensitive problems," he said.
Shoigu also invited his Japanese colleagues to "exchange opinions on the security situation and key issues on the global and regional agenda, including its military-political component."