Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov agreed Monday to continue constructive dialogue on the long-standing territorial dispute, Lavrov said after they met in Moscow.

The two ministers, while admitting that their countries have differing stances on the dispute over Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, said during a joint news conference they agreed to continue to cooperate closely on the matter, but Lavrov stopped short of referring to an approach that would lead to a breakthrough.

"I think we should seek progress," Okada said.

"Our stances are different, but it is true that both Russia and Japan are eager to solve the territorial issue," Lavrov said.

The talks, the first between the foreign ministers since the inauguration of Tokyo's new administration in the fall, were held in line with an agreement reached by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President Dmitry Medvedev in New York in September.

After arriving in Moscow on Sunday, Okada met with Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko and criticized Moscow's recent move to raise the tariff on car imports as a "protectionist measure."

Khristenko was quoted as telling Okada that the hike is "temporary."