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Kommersant
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked on Monday the Minister for foreign Affairs Fumio Kisida not weaken persistent efforts at negotiations with Russia, according to the Agency Kyodo.
“It is desirable to continue the persistent efforts”, — quotes Agency the words of the Prime Minister after receiving the report of Kishida on his visit to Russia, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Kishida was adopted by Putin on 2 December and the talks with Lavrov was held on 3 December.
As previously reported, foreign Minister of Japan gave Putin a message from Abe and got a letter the Russian President to transfer the Japanese Prime Minister. According to Kyodo, the head of the Japanese government letter to Putin got.
In mid-December, it’s expected visit to Japan by Putin, who is in Tokyo attach great importance to the hope for development of relations between the two countries, the conclusion of a peace Treaty and resolving the territorial issues.
As reported by the newspaper “Mainichi” with reference to sources, the Russian-Japanese negotiations are difficult. In particular, we discuss the Russian proposal about the possibility of creating a joint economic zone around the four Islands of southern Kuriles which in Tokyo Japanese believe. According to the newspaper, the Japanese insist that if you encounter any incidents on these Islands in the process of economic cooperation subject to the jurisdiction of Japan.
Relations between the two countries for many years darkens the absence among them of a peace Treaty. Japan claims the Islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai, referring to bilateral Treatise on trade and borders of 1855. The return of the Islands Tokyo made it a condition of signing a peace Treaty with Russia, which after the Second world war and was not signed. The position of Moscow consists that southern Kuriles became part of the Soviet Union at the end of the Second world war and the Russian sovereignty over them has the appropriate international legal formalization.
In early September, on the sidelines of the Eastern economic forum was held in Vladivostok Putin’s talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. One outcome of the meeting was the announcement of the timing of Putin’s visit to Japan. This was a significant breakthrough in relations, given that the visit was postponed in 2014. After a meeting in Vladivostok, the leaders held talks on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru.