Russia will not “automatically” return disputed islands to Japan
AFP reported that on November 18, Russia announced that upcoming negotiations on resolving a dispute with Japan over sovereignty of a group of islands will not necessarily end with Moscow giving up these islands.
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| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Putin. Source: AFP |
TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling Russian Television: "Can we say that this means the automatic return of part of the territory? Obviously not."
The Kuril Islands dispute dates back to the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union's annexation of the islands was confirmed in peace treaties between the victorious powers and accepted by Japan. However, Tokyo argues that some of the islands, which it calls the Northern Territories, were not covered by the agreement and should be returned to Japan.
The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a formal peace agreement to end World War II hostilities.
Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in Singapore to speed up negotiations on four disputed islands. A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Abe will visit Russia early next year for talks.
