Japanese Prime Minister sets preconditions for signing peace treaty with Russia
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan's stance on the territorial issue remains unchanged: the dispute must be resolved before concluding a peace treaty with Moscow. He stated this in an interview with CHK TV channel.
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| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Photo: Sputnik |
"Our main principle is to resolve the territorial issue first, then sign a peace treaty," said the Japanese Prime Minister.
Mr Shinzo added that he had spoken about this before Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement, media reported.
Previously, at the Eastern Economic Forum, Mr. Putin proposed that Japan sign a peace treaty before the end of this year without any preliminary conditions, and then start to resolve the disputes.
Japan claims the four Kuril Islands as its own, citing the 1855 Trade and Border Treaty. Moscow insists that the Southern Kurils joined the Soviet Union after World War II.
