Hailing a potential breakthrough in a decade-long territorial dispute with Russia, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed optimism after talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on May 6.
“The prime minister said that today … he could make a breakthrough in the currently stagnated negotiation”, Japan’s Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura said.
The relations between Japan and Russia have been impacted due to a row dating back to the end of World War II when Soviet troops seized the four southernmost islands in the Pacific Kuril chain, known as the northern territories in Japan. Tensions between the two countries have prevented them from ever signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties.
In what was a rare visit by a G7 leader to Russia, Mr Abe met Mr Putin for talks at his holiday residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The talks focused on the dispute. “The prime minister said that Mr Putin also shared … the same feeling” and the leaders “agreed today that they themselves directly get involved in the negotiation”, Mr Kawamura said.
The two leaders agreed to “promote negotiations by employing a new approach without being bothered by the old previous thinking. This is literally a new element”, he said, without giving out more details. “We have certain questions that demand special attention, maybe for this reason we must devote special attention to building relationships”, added Mr Putin.
Focusing on a breakthrough, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that after the talks on May 6, the sides “discussed the problem of the peace treaty”. He announced another round of foreign ministry consultations that would be held in June.
Author Profile
- India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.
Latest entries
DiplomacyApril 23, 2024Resetting West Asia, re-booting the world, but not fast enough: T.S. Tirumurti- India and the WorldApril 22, 2024India’s G20 Legacy: Mainstreaming Africa, Global South in global agenda
- DiplomacyApril 10, 2024Diplomat-author Lakshmi Puri pitches for women power at LSR
- India and the WorldApril 6, 2024UN envoy pitches to take India’s solutions to the world stage
