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In Japan, they again began to speak publicly about the taking of the Kuril islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai. Although there was no indication of a specific country in the statement, it is clear that it is the Russian Federation.
In the latter, the reaction did not slow down and they immediately objected that their position did not change. The issue was raised by the Japanese at the annual congress on the topic of the northern territories on February 7, which is held online this year, writes RIA Novosti.
Thus, during the event, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stressed that his country intends to negotiate with Russia on the basis of a basic position on “solving the territorial problem.”
“The issue of the northern territories (as the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Iturup and Habomai are called in Japan. – Ed.) In relations between Japan and Russia is the biggest and most difficult problem. It is necessary to solve the problem territorial as soon as possible and conclude an agreement with the Russian Federation, “he said in a video message.
For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reportedly expressed regret at the lack of a proper agreement with Russia.
“In September last year, shortly after I became prime minister, we had a telephone conversation with President Putin and agreed to continue the dialogue, including the conclusion of a peace treaty,” he recalled.
At the same time, RosSMI emphasizes, they say, Moscow’s position on the Kuril Islands is that the disputed territories became part of the USSR after World War II and “the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over them is beyond all doubt”.
Note that the Northern Territories Day congress, which is held in Japan on February 7, is traditionally attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other members of the government. Due to the coronavirus, the event is taking place online.
This year, the Japanese returned to the meeting agenda for the first time in several years the thesis that the northern territories had been occupied. In the previous two years, they used the wording that more than 70 years had passed since the war, “and the peace treaty was never concluded.”
Recall that the four islands of the Kuril range (Iturup, Shikotan, Kunashir and Habomai) still cause territorial differences between Russia and Japan. As you know, since the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union annexed these territories. In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a declaration on the end of hostilities, but the peace treaty was never signed. Japan does not recognize the membership of these islands to the Russian Federation.
As OBOZREVATEL reported:
