Russia and Japan want to sign a peace treaty without preconditions
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed to Japanese leader Shinzo Abe a peace treaty between the two countries without any preconditions before the end of this year.
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| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vlaidmir Putin on September 10. Photo: Sputnik |
According to RT, the two leaders of Russia and Japan met on September 12 at the Eastern Economic Forum taking place in Vladivostok, Russia's Far East.
“Let's sign a peace treaty – not now, but before the end of the year, without any preconditions,” the Russian president said.
Mr Putin's comments were echoed by the Japanese prime minister. "Let's move forward, asking ourselves questions like, 'If we don't sign a peace treaty now, when? If we don't do it, who will?'" Mr Abe said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also affirmed that the current generation has the responsibility to “completely erase the post-war scene” from the region.
Russia and Japan did not sign a formal peace treaty after World War II ended in 1945, and the absence of such an agreement has strained relations since.
The main obstacle to signing a peace treaty is the parties' long-standing claims to the disputed territories that Russia calls the Kuril Islands and Japan calls the Northern Territories.
