The question of the Kuril Islands is closed, they belong to Russia, stated Alexei Chepa, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee. In a conversation with ‘Lenta.ru,’ the deputy reacted to the escalating scandal in Japan over remarks by the Minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories (Tokyo’s name for the southern islands of the Kuril Ridge — ‘Lenta.ru’ notes) Hitoshi Kikawada regarding the Kurils.
‘These are our lands. Therefore, the Japanese minister was absolutely right in calling these territories a foreign state. It is indeed so. The issue lies in the populism that has been actively present in Japan for decades around this question. It hinders the development of our relations,’ Chepa commented.
The deputy mentioned that Russia will never use the Kurils as a bargaining chip. ‘A treaty that has not been signed for decades is certainly necessary. The fact that the Japanese government changes, so to speak, like gloves, indicates both internal complexities and the necessity to restart the Kuril process from scratch each time. This seriously complicates the resolution of this issue,’ he concluded.
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