Tokyo should recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Kuril Islands to accelerate dialogue - Lavrov

DUSHANBE, February 5. /TASS/. Tokyo needs to recognize Russia’s full sovereignty over the Kuril Islands to speed up negotiations on a peace treaty with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the Russian-Tajik Slavonic University on Tuesday. "The first step that needs to be taken must be taken by Tokyo rather than by us. That should be full and unconditional recognition of the outcomes of World War II, including Russia’s sovereignty over all Kuril Islands," he said. "We expect our Japanese counterparts to think the situation over, because Japan is actually the only country in the world, which did not recognize the results of World War II, although it joined the UN, ratified the organization’s charter, which describes these results as final and not subject to revision," Lavrov stressed. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to intensify talks on a peace treaty at a meeting in Singapore last November. In December, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, the two leaders announced establishing a new peace treaty negotiations format. The two countries’ top diplomats were tasked with overseeing its work. For decades, Moscow and Tokyo have been negotiating a peace treaty after World War II. The main stumbling block is the status of the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After World War II, the whole archipelago became part of the Soviet Union. However, Tokyo disputes Russia's sovereignty over Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan Islands as well as a number of smaller uninhabited islands called the Habomai Islands in Japan. Read more