The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russian officials would continue working visits to the Kuril Islands despite Japan’s protests.
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“Such public rhetoric makes one doubt the assurances of the incumbent Japanese government that they respect historical truth and memories of that war, which brought death and suffering to tens of millions of citizens in East Asian states”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“The visit hurts the feelings of the Japanese people as it runs counter to Japan’s position on the Northern Territories”, Hayashi was quoted as telling Afanasiev.
Medvedev however dismissed Japan’s concerns, saying that Russian officials “have visited, are visiting, and will visit the Kurils”.
Medvedev, accompanied August 22 by Yuri Trutnev, deputy prime minister, apparently wants to underscore that Russian Federation controls the Northern Territories, which Moscow calls the Southern Kuril Islands.
On Etrofu Island, Medvedev inspected the condition of infrastructure improvements and instructed the local government to improve its airport’s ability to handle takeoffs and landings during inclement weather.
Soviet troops seized the island region in 1945 after Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration for its World War II surrender.
The report said this is the first time that the 12-day Iturup National Youth Education Forum has been held on the disputed islands.
Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (L) attends the all-Russian youth educational forum &quo …
In July, Moscow approved a project to develop the Kuril Islands, which in Japan are known as the Northern Territories and Chishima islands.
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Dmitry Medvedev called the Kuril Islands “a gate to the rapidly developing Asian-Pacific region” adding that the islands have all the resources needed for the development of industries, fishery and tourism. Japan’s Foreign Ministry also revealed its plans to organize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan by the end of this year after the disruption of Putin’s previous visit to the country in 2014 on account of Japan joining in with anti-Russia sanctions.
