Russia refers Tokyo to UN Charter in the issue of disputed Kuril Islands, says Lavrov

MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Russia refers Tokyo to the UN Charter in the dispute over the South Kuril Islands, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily, posted on its website. "We always ask the Japanese ‘Gentlemen, do you recognize the results of World War II?" the foreign minister said in reply to the question on prospects for the settlement of the dispute over the islands that Japan claims as its Northern Territories. "They said ‘On the whole yes, we do, but not in this issue’," he said. "And how did you ratify the UN Charter then? It has Article 107, which says that all that was done by the victorious powers is sacred and inviolable," Lavrov added. "Maybe the wording is different, but the legal meaning is - don’t touch anything," he said. "We are referring them to the UN Charter and they have nothing to say against it, while we can say that Japan is the only country that challenges the results of WWII, nobody else does this," the top Russian diplomat continued. Read more