The Russian defense minister said that Russia informed Japan on the current situation in Syria and invited the country to join the demining program.

Russia informed Japan on the current situation in Syria and invited the country to join the demining program, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday.

“We have told our colleagues in detail about the current situation in Syria. I mean our humanitarian aid program, our medical aid program and our assistance with demining the area. And we have offered to our colleagues to join our big program in demining UNESCO heritage sites,” Shoigu said at a press conference following the 2+2 consultations.

Russia hopes that Japan will play a role in restoring battle-ravaged Syria after the conflict’s end, Shoigu added.

“It is time we discussed post-conflict restoration of Syria, we expect Japan to get involved,” Shoigu told reporters after meeting Japan’s foreign and defense ministers.

On Monday, Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers held the second session in the 2+2 format, where they discussed trust-building measures in the Asia Pacific region, North Korea’s nuclear program, as well as an increase in joint navy drills.

Shoigu mentioned the Russian mobile hospital in Syria, which, according to him, provided medical aid to over 11,000 victims of the Syrian conflict.

In early March, Tokyo donated $15.3 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to assist those affected by the ongoing Syrian crisis both inside the country and in the neighboring states.

On Monday, Russian and Japanese foreign and defense ministers held the second session in the 2+2 format, where they discussed trust-building measures in the Asia Pacific region, North Korea’s nuclear program, as well as an increase in joint navy drills.