Russia and Japan begun a joint naval military drill in the gulf of Eden on November 10, Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga confirms.
According to Capt. Serga, the military drills are aimed at increasing cooperation between the Russian and Japanese warships in efforts towards fighting piracy and terrorism.
Russia’s Severomorsk ship and the Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi are participating in the drills.
For many years, Russian-Japanese relations have long been hindered by the fact that the two nations never inked a permanent peace agreement after the end of World War II.
However, since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan in December 2016, the relations between the two nations have been improving, with the two sides agreeing to develop joint projects on the disputed islands.
