VLADIVOSTOK, July 8. /TASS/: Moscow has responded harshly to Japan’s nervous reaction to Russia’s development of the southern Kuril Islands, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at Far Eastern Federal University on Thursday.
He pointed out that Japan’s edgy reaction to Russia’s efforts to develop the Kuril Islands did not facilitate peace treaty talks between Moscow and Tokyo. "[It happens when] we hold some drills there, bolster our defenses in this area, or some Russian government official visits one of the four islands or all four of them. We can’t comprehend this, and each time we provide a tough response, reminding the Japanese that the area is an integral part of Russia, it became part of our country after World War II, which was enshrined in the UN Charter," Lavrov pointed out. "When joining the United Nations, Japan ratified the Charter," he added.
According to him, Russia needs to step up its activities on the islands. "As far as I understand, current plans include the construction of an airport on Iturup or Kunashir with the aim of making it an international airport, and I’ve heard that the authorities intend to provide school students from the Yuzhno-Kurilsky District with preferential admission quotas at federal universities. Work is underway on a special federal target program for the socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands," the Russian top diplomat specified.
For decades, Moscow and Tokyo have been holding consultations in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The southern Kuril Islands issue remains the key sticking point. In 1945, the whole archipelago was handed over to the Soviet Union. Tokyo laid claims to Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and a group of uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that Moscow’s sovereignty over the islands is enshrined in international law, and cannot be called into question.
