Putin sees opening with Japan on World War II island dispute
NEW YORK. KAZINFORM Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a conciliatory tone before talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a territorial dispute that's prevented the countries from signing a World War II peace treaty.
Resolving the conflict over four islands occupied by the Soviet Union in the final days of the war should be part of “setting the stage for the development of inter-governmental relations for the long term,” Putin said in an interview on Thursday as he prepared to meet with Abe at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok on Friday.
“We’re not talking about some exchange or some sale, we are talking about finding a solution where neither of the parties would feel defeated or a loser.”
Russia is seeking warmer relations with Japan to woo investment as progress on deepening business ties with China has stalled. The two leaders are discussing the islands, called the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan, for the second time this year after Abe met Putin in Sochi in May, snubbing an appeal by U.S. President Barack Obama not to visit. Putin plans to travel to Japan in December, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
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