TOKYO, June 11. /TASS/. Russia is open to a respect-based dialogue with Japan and is committed to strengthening economic cooperation, cultural ties, and humanitarian exchanges, Russian Ambassador to Tokyo Nikolay Nozdrev said.
“Naturally, we remain open to constructive dialogue with Japan based on mutual respect. We want to preserve and strengthen not only the economic cooperation that continues between our countries, including due to the objective factor of geographical proximity, but also other established forms of cooperation, including cultural ties, humanitarian exchanges, and practical interaction in general,” he said at a reception on Russia Day.
According to the Russian diplomat, “stable contacts in these spheres promote better understanding, trust, and good neighborliness between the Russians and the Japanese.” He stressed that these are Russia’s fundamental approaches to building bilateral relations.
At the same time, he noted that “even amid the growing problems in Russian-Japanese relations,” “protecting the legitimate rights of Russian compatriots” in Japan is among Russia’s priorities.
Since 2022, Japan has imposed several packages of sanctions against Russia, which has led to a significant decline in bilateral relations. Nozdrev ssaid in an interview with TASS that relations have deteriorated to an unprecedentedly low level due to Japan’s hostile policy, and that the condition for their restoration and the resumption of intergovernmental contacts is Japan’s abandonment of its unfriendly course.
