MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov expressed strong protest to Tokyo over its unfriendly steps against Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday after his meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Russia Toyohisa Kozuki.
According to the ministry, the Japanese diplomat was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 26. "Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov expressed a resolute protest to the Japanese side over Tokyo’s unfriendly steps taken in the recent days in the context of Japan’s territorial claims to our country," it said.
"We strongly called on our partners not to drift into destructive policies in bilateral relations and stay committed to the agreements reached by the leaders on elevating the Russian-Japanese ties to a brand-new level through the comprehensive development of trade and economic cooperation, building measures of trust in the sphere of security and narrowing the gaps in positions in international affairs," the ministry stressed.
Earlier on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin embarked on his working trip to the Far East and Siberia. The program began with a visit to the Kuril Island of Iturup. Ahead of the trip, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the prime minister to pay special attention to the Kuril Islands and recalled that Russia had long been in talks with Japan to create "necessary conditions for economic entities" there. Putin also announced a "unique and unprecedented" initiative to get Japan involved in economic activities on the Kuril Islands. The final initiatives, in his words, would be worded after Mishustin’s trip.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told journalists earlier in the day Mishustin’s trip to Iturup ran counter to the Japanese government’s position on the Northern Territories (a term used in Tokyo to refer to the Kuril Islands) and is "regrettable." He said the Japanese government would continue to analyze information about this trip. Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin was summoned to the Japanese Foreign Ministry and said after visiting it that Moscow did not accept the Japanese side’s protest over the prime minister’s trip.
Russia and Japan have been negotiating a peace treaty after World War II since the mid-20th century. The main stumbling block to this is the issue of the ownership of the southern Kuril Islands. After the end of World War II, all Kuril Islands were incorporated into the Soviet Union. However, Japan challenged the ownership of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan islands and a number of uninhibited islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge called the Habomai Islands in Japan.
In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan signed a joint declaration on ceasing the state of war. The two countries resumed diplomatic and other relations, however no peace treaty has been signed until now.
The Russian foreign ministry has repeatedly said that Russia’s sovereignty over these islands, which is committed to paper in international documents, cannot be called to question.