Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov have agreed on the need for talks to continue to facilitate the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries, a Foreign Ministry official said.
Ivanov paid a courtesy call on Koizumi on Friday at his official residence prior to a meeting Saturday afternoon with newly appointed Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
Ivanov handed the prime minister a letter from President Vladimir Putin conveying his support for talks over political issues such as the treaty, the official said.