The flight to the southern Kuriles from Japan moved to June 19 because of bad weather
Former residents of the southern Kurils were going to visit the graves of relatives.
TOKYO, June 18. /Offset. TASS Cyril Agafonov. Charter flight from Japan to the southern Kuril Islands, where they were to take their former residents to visit the graves of relatives, postponed to June 19 because of bad weather. This was reported today the Japanese foreign Ministry.
The departure of the aircraft of the Russian company “Aurora” with 70 passengers on Board was scheduled for Sunday morning, but was initially postponed for a few hours. As a result, the flight and had to reschedule for June 19. According to plan, the aircraft should fly from the airport of the Japanese city Nakashibetsu (hokkaidÅ Prefecture) first, on Kunashir and Iturup then on. Back Board back in the day of departure via the same route through the island of Kunashir, but the exact departure time on Monday is not yet defined.
The agreement to launch such a flight was reached at a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 27 in Moscow. “It was decided for the first time in history (to arrange transportation) by plane and carry out the visit to the tombs of relatives of the former residents of the Islands,” said the head of the Japanese government. Visa-free trip to southern Kuriles with the use of the aircraft was the one held in 2000. However, it was not the purpose of visiting the graves of relatives as it is solved now.
The main task of organizing such a trip on a plane is to simplify this procedure for the elderly.
Currently, the southern Kurils without visas can visit the former inhabitants of these territories, as well as their family members, researchers, representatives of public organizations and journalists. Trips there are made on a dedicated ship. The procedures for entry are made in the port of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir, and then on the same ship can be reached Iturup and other Islands.
Following the meeting with the Russian President in Moscow, Abe announced another decision aimed at addressing humanitarian issues. The parties agreed to open another point of entry of the Islands of Habomai, so a trip there could be done directly, bypassing the Kunashir. He expressed the hope that this will be implemented in August.
Moscow and Tokyo since the middle of last century, with interruptions having consultations on elaboration of a peace Treaty at the end of the Second world war. The main obstacle to this remains the problem of the affiliation of the southern part of the Kuril Islands. Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a number of small uninhabited Islands of the lesser Kuril ridge, which in Japan is called Habomai, the outcome of the war became part of the Soviet Union, but their membership is disputed Tokyo. As repeatedly stated by the Russian foreign Ministry, the Russian sovereignty over them with appropriate international legal design, not subject to doubt.