Putin meets widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met Abe Akie, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in Moscow.
The meeting took place at the Kremlin on Thursday. It is not clear what brought Abe to the capital to meet the Russian leader.
Abe touched on Putin's visit in 2016 to Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan for summit talks with her husband. The prefecture was the former prime minister's home constituency.
She described Russia as a "very important neighbour for Japan," and said she would be happy if cultural exchanges between the two countries could develop.
Putin said Russia remembers the late prime minister's contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation.
He said Abe's dream was concluding a peace treaty between the two nations, and noted that the Japanese leader "pursued it earnestly."
Putin added, "We made significant progress together on this path."
After the meeting, Putin provided his private vehicle, the Aurus Senat limousine, to take Abe to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Abe met then US President-elect Donald Trump in the United States last December, shortly before he took office. She later gave a speech and said she would like to serve as a bridge with other countries.
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