Russian, Japanese Deputy Foreign Ministers To Hold Talks On Peace Treaty On Thursday

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, on Thursday will hold consultations in Moscow regarding the issue of the nations' long-awaited peace treaty

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, on Thursday will hold consultations in Moscow regarding the issue of the nations' long-awaited peace treaty.

This will be the second meeting between Morgulov and Mori this month the two officials had previously met on March 5.

Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have long been strained by the fact that the two nations never signed a peace treaty following the end of World War II. The agreement was never reached due to a heated dispute over a group of islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai that Russia has sovereignty over.

They are also claimed by Tokyo.

During peace treaty talks with his Japanese counterpart in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the sides had confirmed their willingness to work on the basis of the 1956 declaration, "which means, first of all, the inalterability of ... Japan's complete recognition of ... Russia's sovereignty over all the islands of the South Kuril ridge."