Tokyo must abandon anti-Russian stance to resume dialogue with Moscow — senior diplomat

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Moscow and Tokyo can only resume dialogue after Japan abandons its anti-Russian stance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with the News.ru outlet.

"The path to resuming intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation can only be opened after the Japanese leadership abandons its anti-Russian stance, backed by concrete actions," he emphasized.

The senior diplomat recalled that in response to the Japanese government's unilateral restrictions against Russia on March 21, 2022 over the situation in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Moscow does not intend to continue negotiations with Japan on a peace treaty, given the impossibility of discussing the signing of fundamental documents on bilateral relations with a state that openly takes unfriendly positions and seeks to harm Russia’s interests.