Russian President makes rounds in Asia

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed he will embark on a round of visits to the nations in the Far East. Following his visit to China on the 17th and 18th, he will visit North Korea on the 19th, for summit meetings with the heads of two states.

Then from the 21st to the 23rd, he will be in Okinawa, Japan for the G8 meeting of advanced nations. He further plans to return to Japan early September for a summit with Japan`s Prime Minister Mori Yoshiro and also meet with President Kim Dae-Jung in his visit to Korea.

The round of visits planned by President Putin is a new direction taken by the Russian leadership for closer strategic ties with Asian nations. It marks a shift in foreign policy dominated by building ties with European nations during the administration of Gorbachev and Yeltsin. At the time of his inauguration, Russian President Putin announced his plan to withdraw military cooperative exercises with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Instead, President Putin announced an augmentative military program in the East Asia. His visits are in line with the "New Foreign Policy" announced by Russia on the 10th which places a priority on Asia as the region for greater cooperative networks.