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Russia’s withdrawal from agreement on Kurils seen as response to sanctions — lawmaker

Russia has terminated the agreement with Japan on simplified procedure of visiting the Kuril Islands by Japanese citizens - former residents of these islands, and the agreement on the procedure of mutual trips

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/. Russia’s withdrawal from agreements with Japan on simplified procedures of visiting the Kuril Islands by Japanese nationals, who once lived on these territories and on the procedure of mutual trips is a sensible measure for Tokyo, which was taken as a response to Tokyo’s joining the anti-Russian sanctions, a Russian lawmaker said on Monday.

"It is a forced measure and a very sensible for the Japanese side. It followed as a response to the illegal sanction pressure exerted by the Japanese government and its joining the West’s Russophobic policy," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma (lower parliament house), told TASS.

He recalled that this agreement was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "as a symbol of good will and a step on a path toward the peace treaty." "And it has been killed by rampant solidarity with the Group of Seven nations. The sanctions backfire. Regrettably, this time they have backfired to the Japanese side," Slutsky noted.

Russia has terminated the agreement with Japan on simplified procedure of visiting the Kuril Islands by Japanese citizens - former residents of these islands, and the agreement on the procedure of mutual trips. The corresponding government resolution was posted on the official portal of legal information on Monday. The Russian foreign ministry was instructed to notify the Japanese side about this decision.

Military operation in Ukraine

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