Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers Meeting on the Occasion of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) (in Brunei)
(Outline)

August 1, 2002

On 1 August from 12:40 to 13:05 (Brunei local time) for 25 minutes, a Japan-Russia Foreign Ministers Meeting was held between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov of the Russian Federation to discuss political issues, peace treaty negotiations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Japan-Russia cooperation over Afghanistan and the Japan Year in Russia 2003. An outline of the meeting follows.

In addition, prior to this meeting during the Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on 31 July, there was a short opportunity to exchange opinions on the visit of Foreign Minister Ivanov to North Korea.

1. Political Dialogue

Both Foreign Ministers agreed that Foreign Minister Kawaguchi would visit Russia from 12 to 14 October. The Ministers stated that they hoped meetings on the occasion of the visit to Russia in October would be fruitful.

2. Peace Treaty Negotiations

(1) Foreign Minister Kawaguchi stated that the international situation over Russia is changing. For instance, it was decided at the recently held Kananaskis Summit that Russia would host the G8 Summit in 2006. Peace treaty negotiations, however, is the only issue between Japan and Russia that has not yet been carried forward. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi stated that she intends to advance this issue and construct a cooperative relationship between Japan and Russia on a new level by achieving a solution to the peace treaty negotiations issue.

(2) Foreign Minister Ivanov stated that he intends to discuss a peace treaty thoroughly on the occasion of the visit of Foreign Minister Kawaguchi.

3. Situation on the Korean Peninsula

(1) In a short discussion on 31 July, Foreign Minister Ivanov stated that he explained to General Secretary of the Worker's Party of North Korea Kim Jong Il and Minister of Foreign Affairs Paek Nam Sun the basic position of Japan, which is to solve various outstanding issues between Japan and North Korea through efforts of dialogue with North Korea. In response, Foreign Minister Ivanov also explained that General Secretary Kim stated he was prepared to enter into discussions with Japan without any preconditions. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Ivanov noted that General Secretary Kim placed importance on dialogue with the United States of America as well as Japan and emphasized that he was positive about North-South dialogue. Also, Russia announced support for North-South dialogue and is prepared to make efforts to promote it.

(2) In the Meeting on 1 August, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi explained that as a result of the Japan-North Korea Foreign Ministers Meeting on 31 July, it was decided to hold Director-General level consultations in Pyongyang on 25 August to discuss issues including normalization of diplomatic relations and abduction cases between the two countries.

(3) In response, Foreign Minister Ivanov noted his appreciation for Minister Kawaguchi's explanation and stated it was important for Japan to contact North Korea directly and hold dialogue. In addition, he stated that Russia intended to provide possible cooperation for Japan.

4. Japan-Russia Cooperation over Afghanistan

(1) With regard to a drug control project in the border region of Afghanistan and the Republic of Tajikistan, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi conveyed that Japan would provide appropriate cooperation through the United Nations International Drug and Control Programme (UNDCP), based on the amount of money requested by Russia. In response, Foreign Minister Ivanov stated that he appreciated Japan's offer.

(2) Furthermore, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi said that this cooperation would promote the stabilization of nations surrounding Afghanistan and contribute to the solution of the global issue of the outflow of drugs to the international community. In particular, Minister Kawaguchi stated it was important that the Russian Federal Border Service was able to stop a substantial amount of drugs from crossing the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border and noted that Japan highly evaluated such efforts.

5. Japan Year in Russia 2003

Foreign Minister Kawaguchi explained the readiness of the Japan Year in Russia 2003 and asked the Russian side for cooperation toward the success of the event. In response, Foreign Minister Ivanov stated that this matter had been agreed upon between both leaders and Russia would spare no effort in providing assistance.