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No question of giving up on the Kuril Islands. Moscow reaffirms its position on this issue, which has poisoned relations between Russia and Japan for several decades. The last few weeks have seen renewed diplomatic tension between the two countries on this sensitive issue. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took advantage of the visit to Moscow of his Japanese counterpart to drive the point home.
With our correspondent in Moscow , Daniel Vallot
The talks between Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono lasted several hours, but obviously no progress was recorded at the end of this meeting.
At the heart of the tensions, the Kuril Islands , these four islands of the Pacific annexed by the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War. Islands that there is no question of giving in to Japan, said very firmly Sergei Lavrov:
"We have confirmed that we are ready to work on the basis of the 1956 declaration, which means above all the indisputable character, from the outset, of the recognition by our Japanese neighbors of the results of the Second World War. Including the sovereignty of Russia on all the Kuril Islands. This is our basic position and without a step in this direction, it will be very difficult to advance on the rest. "
Last November Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe promised to advance on this issue, and to reach in 2019 the signing of a peace treaty. But since then, relations between Tokyo and Moscow have deteriorated significantly.
Japan did not appreciate Russia's announcement of the construction of military barracks on the Kuriles. And the Kremlin was annoyed by Shinzo Abe's recent statements, promising a change of sovereignty over the Kuriles.