Russia, Japan to work towards postwar peace treaty

Winding up talks held in Moscow Monday, President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed their foreign ministers to intensify diplomacy towards a formal postwar peace treaty, which is being held up by disputes over who owns the four islands of the South Kurils group. They agreed it is not normal to remain technically at war 68 years after the end of their countries’ last military conflict.

The two leaders also agreed to start bilateral minister-level consultations on defence and security matters and advance Russian-Japanese cooperation in the economy.

The South Kurils became Russian under the international agreements signed at the end of WWII. Russia has no plans to return them to Japan.

Japan and Russia have the common opinion that the situation where the two countries have not concluded a peace treaty, is not normal, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“Concerning the resumption of the talks on the peace treaty, President Putin and I have confirmed the understanding this time that the absence of a peace treaty 67 years after the end of the war between Japan and Russia, is not normal,” Abe said at a press conference in Moscow after talks with President Vladimir Putin.

The parties have agreed to instruct their foreign ministries to accelerate the talks in order to achieve a mutually acceptable solution, he said.

“President Putin and I will discuss this issue after we receive reports from our foreign ministries on progress in the talks,” Abe said.

The Russian and Japanese leaders have instructed their foreign ministries to step up the work to devise a mutually acceptable way of settling the peace treaty problem.

“The problem of the peace treaty was discussed, of course. We instructed our foreign ministries to intensify contacts for devising a mutually acceptable way of settling the problem,” President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The joint statement on the promotion of bilateral partnership, adopted after the talks, has this aim in view, as well, Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Moscow Kremlin earlier today that relations between Moscow and Tokyo are developing consistently and positively. 

According to Putin, last year saw a record-high bilateral trade turnover, although, of course, the figure is not as great as it could have been for such countries as the Russian Federation and Japan.

The Russian leader reiterated that the talks will focus on the key issues in bilateral relations, namely a peace treaty and a settlement of regional problems in general.

Enlarged consultations involving the members of the two delegations are due after the Putin-Abe talks.

A number of agreements are scheduled to be signed, with Putin and Abe prepared to take reporters’ questions afterwards.

The Kremlin expects no immediate breakthroughs on the Kuril Island issue, which remains the stumbling block in bilateral relations.

The parties to the talks are more likely to place on record that they are prepared to go ahead with a constructive dialogue.

Source:Voice of Russia, RIA, Interfax

R.S