Moscow-Tokyo Wise Men to focus on G8 summit agenda, energy cooperation

MOSCOW. March 27 – The Russian-Japanese Council of Wise Men co-chaired by Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and former Prime Minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori will focus on preparing for the upcoming G8 summit in St. Petersburg and on energy cooperation at its third session Monday near Moscow, the Moscow City Hall said.

Energy will continue to be a top theme as it was at the second meeting in Tokyo when “the sector was named among key dimensions of cooperation,” the Moscow City Government said.

Education will be another topic on the agenda, backed by the latest meeting’s decision to organize Russo-Japanese university events and support university science in both countries.

“More than 500 Japanese [students] are on traineeship at Moscow State University alone, while about 1,000 Russian students are being trained in Japan,” the city government said.

Prospective areas of student cooperation include maritime expeditions, satellite data analysis, environment research, minerals prospecting and tsunami warning.

The Council of Wise Men was set up by Russian and Japanese leaders in 2003 as a consultative body to engage public figures, businesspeople and politicians in informal debates on problems impeding bilateral relations. The council convened for the first time in Moscow in April 2004.