Russian Transport Minister Visits Disputed Pacific Islands

Moscow, Sept. 7 (Jiji Press)--Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov on Monday visited Kunashiri and Etorofu, two of the four northwestern Pacific islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Moscow, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said. The ministry delivered a message of protest to the Russian embassy in Tokyo by phone, saying that the visit was regrettable because it ran counter to Japan's position on the islands and hurt the feelings of Japanese people, the officials said. The Russian embassy dismissed the Japanese protest, Russia's Itar-TASS news agency said. Russian ministers can freely move in Russian territory for their official duties, the embassy was quoted as saying, adding that no permission was needed for this from a foreign state. Monday's trip followed visits to Etorofu by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Aug. 22 and by Russian Agricultural Minister Alexander Tkachev on Tuesday. Last month, Medvedev instructed his ministers to make regular visits to the disputed islands, in an apparent move to cement Moscow's control of the four islands. END