Putin says Japanese PM refused to sign peace treaty, but Russia ready for dialogue

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe believes it is impossible to sign a peace treaty with Russia before resolving the territorial issue, as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in September on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.

"We later attended the youth judo tournament and continued the discussion in an informal setting. He said this approach was unacceptable for Japan today, we need first to resolve the fundamental issues related to these territories and then talk about a peace treaty. This is also a possibility, but we have made no headway for 70 years now, and there is no end in sight," Putin said at a plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

The Russian president explained that Moscow had never suggested giving up efforts to resolve the territorial issue. According to the Russian leader, the signing of a peace treaty would be conducive to raising the level of confidence between the two countries and result in accelerating the solution of territorial problems.

Putin also raised the issue of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Japan. "For our part, we create, are trying to create the necessary conditions, while Japan has imposed sanctions on us. Do you believe this is this a step aimed at enhancing confidence?" the Russian leader pointed out.

However, Russia is ready to continue this dialogue, Putin stressed. "We are talking about enhancing confidence. We are talking about the possibility of signing a peace treaty, achieving some compromises on the territorial issues that Japan constantly raises, although we believe they do not exist. Nevertheless, we do not reject this dialogue. At the request of Prime Minister Abe we create conditions for Japanese citizens’ visits to these territories," the president added.

Putin noted that Russia and Japan discussed the joint economic activities on the southern Kuril Islands. "That’s a good idea. However, [this project] is being implemented fairly slowly. That’s the question, but we are ready to continue working," he concluded.