![Putin says keen to solve Japan island row](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2016/09/_2/740x404/pic_1472811996_2.jpg)
Putin Says Keen To Solve Japan Island Row
Muhammad Rameez Published September 02, 2016 | 01:10 PM
![Putin says keen to solve Japan island row](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2016/09/_2/740x404/pic_1472811996_2.jpg)
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -2nd Sep,2016) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was keen to resolve a territorial dispute with Japan ahead of talks Friday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, although a solution appears far off.
Tokyo-Moscow relations are hamstrung by a row dating back to the end of World War II when Soviet troops seized the southernmost islands in the Pacific Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
"We are not talking about some kind of exchange or some kind of sale," Putin said in an interview with Bloomberg news. "We are talking about finding a solution where neither party will feel ...
defeated or a loser." The tensions have prevented the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending wartime hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties. Putin said that signing a peace treaty with Japan was a "key issue" and that Moscow "would very much like to find a solution to this problem with our Japanese friends." Abe's visit to Russia -- his second this year -- comes days after the Kremlin announced that Putin will travel to Japan in December, his first trip to the country since 2005.
Over the years, leaders from the two nations have tried to make headway on resolving the row but a solution has proved elusive. - Rapprochement efforts - ========================= Both sides have confirmed that the disputed islands will be addressed in Friday's talks, taking place on the sidelines of an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.
"I'm resolved to make progress on the peace treaty and territorial issues by holding candid and thorough talks with President Putin," Abe told reporters before he set off for Vladivostok. Experts view recent rapprochement efforts as a positive development for Moscow's trade ties with stalwart US ally Tokyo, but doubt that they will result in a resolution of their territorial dispute.
"The two parties are likely to show that they are in favour of a peace treaty but will try not to publically express their disagreements about the Kuril islands," Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev said.
"Japan is not ready to drop its claims to the islands and Russia will by no means recognise them." Foreign minister Lavrov said earlier this year that Russia wants to "move forward" its ties with Japan but is not prepared to budge on the "result of World War II".
Russia has angered Japan recently by building new modern compounds for its troops stationed on two of the disputed islands. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev infuriated Tokyo last year when he visited the islands, which are home to some 19,000 Russians.
- Boosting trade - ================== Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the talks that the territorial dispute was "far from the main issue on the agenda", adding that efforts to boost trade ties would be their main focus.
Japan joined the US and EU to slap sanctions on Russia over its meddling in Ukraine, further hindering its already modest trade with Moscow. Bilateral trade between the countries last year fell by 31 percent to $21.3 billion (19 billion Euros), in part due to the punishing economic measures by Japan.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that in spite of the sanctions imposed by Tokyo, the Russian market remains "of great interest" to the Japanese business community. Abe is travelling with a large delegation that will discuss a wide-range of economic issues with senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Energy Minister Alexander Novak, and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.
Business leaders Igor Sechin, the CEO of oil giant Rosneft, and Oleg Deripaska, who heads aluminium producer Rusal, are also set to take part in talks with the Japanese delegation, Ushakov said. During his visit to Russia's Black Sea city of Sochi in May, Abe proposed an eight-point economic cooperation plan with Russia that focused on energy, agriculture and industrial production.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
![Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019914.jpg)
Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard
![Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on refor ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019922.jpg)
Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on reform agenda, engagement with IMF
![Finland says Russian vessel violated its territori ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019912.jpg)
Finland says Russian vessel violated its territorial waters
![Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019266.jpg)
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
![West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019264.jpg)
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
![Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murde ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019262.jpg)
Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murder of nationalist ex-MP
![Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris ope ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019015.jpg)
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
![Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inau ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019638.jpg)
Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inauguration reception
![Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Z ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019637.jpg)
Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Zardari at Governor's House
![Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympi ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019635.jpg)
Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympic coach sent home: official
![Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fi ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019013.jpg)
Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fighting against SL
!['Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: ..](https://photo-cdn.urdupoint.com/media/2024/07/_1/235x155/pic_1722019634.jpg)
'Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: What we know
More Stories From World
-
Biden talks Gaza ceasefire efforts with king of Jordan
5 hours ago -
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
5 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked ex-presidents going to observe polls
5 hours ago -
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
5 hours ago -
Khan Yunis fighting displaces 180,000 Gazans in four days: UN
5 hours ago -
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
5 hours ago
-
Obama & his wife, Michelle, officially endorse US VP Kamala Harris for president
5 hours ago -
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
5 hours ago -
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
5 hours ago -
S.African police detain 95 Libyans at suspected military camp
6 hours ago -
'Slapping therapist' guilty over UK diabetic woman's death
6 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked flight of ex-presidents going to observe polls
6 hours ago