Russian and nation of Japan had been in conflict with each other for a long time over the Pacific island regions located on the edge of the Sea of Okhotsk. Earlier, the leaders of the two nations had agreed to study the joint rule of a group of the contested islands, laying out a detailed plan for re-establishing full diplomatic relations after more than seven decades, right after World War II.
“Our relations with Russia hold unlimited potential,” said Shinzo Abe addressing the Easter Economic Forum, which is being held in Vladivostok. Economic and political ties between the two countries have been limited by Russia’s occupation of the islands, with both sides having deadlocks over the negotiations of the same.
“Over the long stretch of more than 70 years since the end of World War II, Japan and Russia have yet to conclude a peace treaty between them. Both (President Vladimir) Putin and I agreed this is an abnormal state of affairs,” said Abe further stressing on the situation shared by the two countries.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pushing for a way forward in the dispute, with the two leaders holding numerous meetings and reportedly getting as close to solving the row as they have ever been.
From the Russian side, there has also been a proposal from the Russian side, where Putin has suggested that the Russian and Japanese side sign a peace treaty this year, ending Second World War hostilities “without any preconditions” as territorial disputes have led to decades of deadlock.
The suggestion from the Russian side was received ‘cooly’ by the Japanses who in turn suggested that the two countries should first resolve the dispute before signing a peace deal. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson while addressing the media spoke that Putin’s proposal made at an economic forum as an ‘impromptu idea’ which the leaders hadn’t yet discussed.