A compromise between Japan and Russia on the disputed Kuril Islands «can and will be found,» Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, signaling a willingness to negotiate on a long-standing issue, informs «Pacific Russia».
Putin spoke to journalists after the annual Direct Line with Vladimir Putin program, in which he talks with callers from across Russia. He made an approving mention of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to visit the country in May. «We see that despite the pressure from their partners, in particular from the USA, our Japanese friends do seek to maintain relations with us,» he said.
Putin said he will discuss all outstanding issues with Abe, implying that the disputed islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, are on the table. He indicated that he plans to hold talks at all levels.
«Japan took the decision to limit contacts with us at one point,» Putin said, suggesting that negotiations stalled over Japan’s decision to join the U.S. and Europe in imposing sanctions over Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. «I do not think this is at all in the interests of Japan or its people.»
By dangling the prospect of wrapping up the Kurils issue before the Group of Seven summit to be hosted by Japan next month, he likely hopes to nudge those countries closer to reconciliation with Russia.
On the program, the president spoke to workers who complained of local government corruption as well as late wage payments at a fish-processing plant on Shikotan, one of the disputed islets. Putin directed authorities in Sakhalin, which governs the Kurils, to tackle the issue promptly. Prosecutors filed charges against the head of the plant that day.
Putin also touted measures to promote the fishing industry, an important issue for Shikotan. He mentioned legislation in the pipeline to deal with the practice of importing fish from China that were caught off the Russian coast, which has hurt Russian producers and consumers.
The Soviet Union had agreed in a 1956 joint declaration to hand over Shikotan and the Habomai islets to Japan upon the conclusion of a peace treaty. Putin’s highly unusual decision to address the grievances of residents of a disputed territory on a public broadcast is intended to encourage Japan to mend fences with Russia quickly, a diplomatic source said.