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Disputes over Southern Kurile Islands to Be Settled in No Hurry
The territorial disputes should be settled in no hurry, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov told reporters in Tokyo, where he arrived on official visit today.
“The issue should be tackled in no hurry, along with relations transfer to the new quality,” Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said when meeting leaders of Japanese parliament. “It requires time and joint efforts,” Fradkov specified.
Russia and Japan are in the long-time territorial disputes about four sparsely populated islands, known in Russia as the Southern Kurile Islands and to Japan as the Northern Territories.
The disputes have long overshadowed diplomatic relations of Russia and Japan. In December 2006, for instance, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov vowed that the first round of strategic dialogue with Japan could be held already in early 2007. Lavrov warned that even though he has no intention to contest the right of Japan to voice its opinion on any issue, the contradictory statements about splitting the Southern Kurile Islands hardly contribute to concluding a peaceful treaty with Russia.
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