Moscow [Russia], October 26 : The Kremlin has welcomed Japan's desire to sign a peace treaty with Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
This follows a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who told parliament that pursuing an agreement is part of her government's foreign policy agenda.
Japan and Russia never signed a peace treaty after the end of World War II. The absence of a treaty stems from a longstanding dispute over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril archipelago, which were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1945 as part of the postwar settlement. Tokyo, however, continues to claim what it calls the Northern Territories, RT reported.
Speaking in parliament, Takaichi said, "The Japanese government's policy is to resolve the territorial issue and finalise the peace treaty."
The Kremlin responded by saying the statement is "rather to be welcomed. ""Moscow also supports signing a peace treaty with Japan," Peskov told journalists, RT reported.
However, Peskov noted what he called Tokyo's "rather unfriendly stance" towards Moscow, adding that Japan has taken part in "all the unlawful sanctions and restrictions against our country" imposed by the West.
Dialogue between the two nations has also been "reduced virtually to zero" in recent years due to Tokyo's actions, the spokesman added.
The territorial dispute over the southern Kuril Islands has remained a major obstacle to improved relations between Russia and Japan. Although Tokyo renounced its claims to the islands under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, it later said the disputed islands are not part of the Kuril archipelago. Russia, however, maintains that all four islands are part of its sovereign territory, RT reported.
Japan has occasionally declared its intent to resolve the issue over the years, while at the same time maintaining tough rhetoric regarding Russia.
In her speech on Friday, Takaichi acknowledged that relations between the two countries are "in a difficult situation".
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