The problem of ending a decades-old conflict dispute with Japan is “closed” for Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioned
Any plans to strike a peace treaty with Japan are off the desk for Moscow, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has mentioned, citing Tokyo’s hostility in direction of Russia.
“As for the subject of a peace treaty, as you know, it has been closed for us,” Maria Zakharova mentioned throughout an everyday media briefing on Friday. The spokeswoman famous that the Foreign Ministry clearly articulated its place on the difficulty final March, stating that the “unfriendly” stance of Japan makes any additional negotiations unattainable.
The remarks got here shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to prioritize reopening talks with Moscow on the peace treaty, and resolving the territorial dispute over the South Kuril Islands, referred to by Tokyo because the “northern territories.”
“The fact that 77 years after the end of the war, the issue of the Northern Territories has not been resolved and there is no peace treaty between Japan and Russia is extremely regrettable… The Japanese government is committed to resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty,” Kishida mentioned on Tuesday throughout a ceremony to commemorate the day of the “northern territories.”
During the occasion, Japan referred to the 4 southern islands of the Kuril chain as “illegally occupied” by Moscow for the primary time in 5 years. “It is completely unacceptable that the Northern Territories have yet to be returned since the Soviet Union’s illegal occupation of them 77 years ago,” a joint assertion adopted by the federal government and civic teams on the ceremony acknowledged.
Russia and Japan have technically remained at conflict with one another for nearly eight a long time, after failing to achieve a post-WWII settlement. Tokyo disputes Russian sovereignty over 4 of the islands within the Kuril Archipelago, which the Soviet Union captured throughout the conflict. In the San Francisco Treaty of 1951, Japan relinquished its claims to the Kurils, however later claimed the “northern territories” have been by no means part of the archipelago.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow provided some compromises to Japan on the difficulty, particularly a simplified visa mechanism for separate Japanese households and joint financial improvement of the islands. However, the 2 international locations have by no means reached a closing settlement on the difficulty.