Japanese Prime Minister hopes to sign peace treaty with Russia during current generation’s lifetime
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expects to resolve the issue of concluding a peace treaty with Russia within the current generation’s lifetime. RIA Novosti reports that Abe said this after talks with Vladimir Putin.
"The issue of a peace treaty, which was not signed for over 70 years, is not easy to resolve; however, we want to put an end to this problem in our generation. This is our key goal," Abe said.
Putin offered to patiently seek a solution that meets the interests of Russia and Japan. Earlier, the Russian leader stated that a peace agreement could be concluded through joint economic activities on the Southern Kuril Islands and the development of bilateral relations.
A peace treaty between Russia and Japan has not been signed for more than 70 years. Tokyo has called for the return of the Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai islands as a condition for the conclusion of an agreement. Moscow believes that the four Southern Kuril Islands joined the USSR following the Second World War, and that Russia’s sovereignty over them is beyond doubt.