Japanese Prime Minister Pins Great Hopes on Russian-Japanese Interaction in Energy Sphere

Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi pins great hopes on Russian-Japanese interaction in the energy sphere.

When answering journalists' questions after the talks in the Kremlin, Koizumi said that joint exploration of resources in Siberia and the Far East could influence not only the bilateral relations, but also "the energy situation in the world on the whole".

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his turn said that during the negotiations the parties had thoroughly discussed the outlook of the two countries' cooperation and decided "to instruct their departments to analyze the possibilities for intensifying relations in a number of directions of trade and economic relations".

Apart from exploration and transportation of Siberian and Far Eastern energy resources, the president noted the countries' investment cooperation, as well as specific projects in the IT sphere, particularly in telecommunications.