Russia’s sovereignty over Kuril Islands indisputable - upper house speaker

TOKYO, November 1. /TASS/. Russia’s sovereignty over the Kuril Islands is beyond doubt, Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Russian parliament’s upper house, said on Tuesday. "Russia’s position is well-known, it remains unchanged. I don’t know where the interpretations and speculations come from. Russia’s indisputable sovereignty over the Kuril Islands is confirmed by international and legal acts. Russia cannot give away its sovereignty over the Kuril Islands," Matviyenko said. "There are no talks on handing over two or all islands as there are no grounds for that," she stressed. The problem of the southern Kuril Islands is the key obstacle to a complete normalization of the Russian-Japanese ties and the signing of a peace treaty. After the Second World War, all Kuril Islands were made part of the Soviet Union. But Japan does not agree that the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai island group belong to Russia. Tokyo calls the islands "Northern Territories". This December, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to pay a visit to Japan. He is due to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on December 15 in Nagato in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Local media reports earlier said Putin could also visit Tokyo for an economic forum. Read more