ROME -- Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meeting Friday in Rome, confirmed their intention to deepen negotiations over a peace treaty based on the 1956 Japanese-Soviet joint declaration.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin previously agreed to speed up negotiations when they met on Nov. 14.
Kono told reporters after the meeting, "we talked a little deeply about the issue of concluding a peace treaty," but refrained from going into further detail.
Both foreign ministers also confirmed that Abe and Putin would meet during a summit of the Group of 20 major countries and regions, which will be held in Buenos Aires from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.
Kono also held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Friday. He conveyed Japan's position on the Iran nuclear accord, which Tokyo supports, and welcomed Tehran's compliance with the agreement.
Kono was in Rome to attend the Mediterranean Dialogue, an international conference of foreign ministers from Europe and the Middle East.
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