RF, Japan to discuss prevention of air, sea incidents.

MOSCOW, June 1 (Itar-Tass) - Officials of the Foreign and Defence
Ministries of Russia and Japan meet here on Tuesday for two-day
consultations to review the implementation of the Intergovernmental
agreement on the prevention of incidents at sea outside the territorial
waters and in the airspace above them, an official in the Russian Defence
Ministry directorate for the press and information has told Itar-Tass.
The Defence Ministry official said, "The Russian delegation, which
includes Foreign Ministry officials and Navy officers, is led by
Vice-Admiral Oleg Burtsev, First Deputy Chief of the Main Naval
Headquarters. Taking part in the consultations on the Japanese side will
be the leader of the delegation, Nobukatsu Konehara, adviser at the
Foreign Ministry Department for Europe, as well as Foreign and Defence
Ministry officials".
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, "During the consultations,
which are to be held for the 16th time, the sides will discuss in detail
matters concerning the implementation of the Agreement in the past year,
and exchange views and proposals on ways to ensure a high level of
security within the scope of the accords".
The Russo-Japanese Agreement was signed by the governments of the two
countries in October 1993 with a view to preventing incidents between the
ships and aircraft of Japan's Self-Defence Forces and Russia's Armed
Forces, and to enhancing security in this respect.
The need to hold annual consultations was reaffirmed by the
Russo-Japanese Action Plan, signed in 2003 by the Premiers of Russia and
Japan. The first annual consultations were held in Moscow in December 1994
and, since, have been subsequently held alternately in the capitals of the
two countries.