Russia, Japan To Cooperate

Russia and Japan may sign cooperation agreements on energy joint work during President Vladimir Putin' visit to Tokyo, Russia?s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

The Japanese are interested in the cooperation and "we are prepared to cooperate with them in the field of energy on terms suiting us," Lavrov told a cabinet session chaired by Putin.

"This line, stretching out to the eastern coast, will substantially broaden our cooperation in this domain, and they are evincing interest in it," Lavrov said of the planned Eastern oil pipeline which the cabinet approved on Dec. 31, 2004.

President Putin told the cabinet that he will meet former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori in the near future and discuss with him cooperation in the energy sector, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.