ST. PETERSBURG, October 14. /TASS/. Ultimatum-sounding remarks by Japan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that Tokyo won’t agree to sign a peace treaty with Moscow without settling the territorial issue postpone the prospects of solving this problem, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"If these ultimatum-sounding statements are used by the Japanese to set conditions for further negotiations on a peace treaty, then, in our view, our partners only further delay the prospect of solving it by such moves," the Russian diplomat said at a briefing on the sidelines of the 3rd Eurasian Women’s Forum.
Moscow’s invariable stance is that Japan should accept the full outcome of World War II, including the legitimacy of Russia’s possession of the southern Kuril Islands as a top priority step in this direction, the Russian diplomat said.
"At the same time, the sides should look for a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of a peace treaty through the comprehensive development of Russian-Japanese relations by way of building up economic, commercial and investment cooperation and implementing confidence-building measures in the military and political sphere, in addition to bringing their positions in international affairs closer to each other," Zakharova emphasized.
Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida earlier claimed that Tokyo’s sovereignty extended to the southern Kuril Islands. In his keynote speech in parliament on October 8, the head of the government stressed that Japan would not sign a peace treaty with Russia without settling the territorial issue. He also told reporters that he favored solving the issue of the ownership of all the South Kuril Islands that Japan laid claims to.
In pursuit of a peace deal
Moscow and Tokyo have been holding consultations since the mid-20th century in order to clinch a peace treaty in the aftermath of World War II. The southern Kuril Islands issue remains the key sticking point. In 1945, the whole archipelago was handed over to the Soviet Union. However, Tokyo laid claims to Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and a group of uninhabited islands.
Tokyo frequently lodges protests over Russia’s activity on the southern Kuril Islands, which Moscow consistently rejects. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that Moscow’s sovereignty over the islands is enshrined in international law and cannot be called into question.