Lavrov :Russia ready to negotiate with Japan on peace agreement

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said that Russia has an absolutely consistent approach to the issue of a peace treaty with Japan. We are in negotiations with Japan on this problem, and we are ready to pursue them. Our position, however, greatly differs from that of Japan. The Southern Kuril Islands which Japan is trying to claim, are the territory of the Russian Federation in accordance with the realities of international law established following the outcomes of World War II, and laid down in the UN Charter, said Sergey Lavrov told a press conference he held on Wednesday in Vladivostok following the meeting of the APEC foreign ministers who preparing for the the September 8-9 APEC Summit. Elaborating the Russian FM said,'' Joint work aimed at finding a solution to this problem may yield fruit only on condition that close partner relations between Russia and Japan are established that would provide for an extensive development of cooperation in various fields, constructive interaction in the international arena. Good neighbors and partners will find it much easier to agree, even over most complicated matters''. He further said, ''We believe that it is important to consider such complicated issues of the history of bilateral relations first of all within the framework of a dialogue between historians. As we know by experience, public discussions, particularly in a confrontational manner, lead only to a spread of polar attitudes and antagonisms within society. This will by no means bring us closer to the settlement. This position was set out by President Dmitry Medvedev, clearly and in detail, during his meetings with Japanese leaders''. Vladimir Putin knows this "territorial" issue to the letter; he has a huge experience of contacts with Japanese leaders and has made a considerable contribution to the development of the Russian-Japanese exchanges. Following his visit to Tokyo in 2009, new promising areas for cooperation with Japan in the energy sector, including atomic energy, as well as high technologies and engineering were outlined. Intensification of ties in these areas coupled with full-scale collaboration in the international arena on urgent security issues would provide a favorable environment for the advancement of the political dialogue.