Russia, Japan State Determination to Resolve Islands Dispute

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, January 11, 2003

Russia, Japan State Determination to Resolve Islands Dispute

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ended their Friday summit with the signing of a joint declaration which calls for the settlement of a long-standing territorial dispute between the two countries.

Russia and Japan would "energetically pursue a mutually acceptable solution to the problem of signing a peace treaty" by ending their dispute over four tiny Russian-held islands in the southern Kuril chain, said the joint declaration.

The two sides would "activate talks with the goal of reaching arapid settlement of the outstanding problems," it said.

Ties between Japan and Russia have been strained for years overthe ownership of the four islands. Lingering distrust has kept thetwo nations from signing a formal peace treaty.

The statement said the two sides would seek "finally to overcome the difficult heritage of the past and open up new horizons for a wider Russian-Japanese partnership."

The two countries "confirm that maintaining an atmosphere of understanding, trust and broad, mutually beneficial cooperation ...is very important in the conduct of the negotiations," the declaration said.

They would cooperate still closer in a bid to establish a constructive partnership, which would tally with both sides' strategic and geopolitical interests, it added.

The two leaders also signed a joint action plan, which stressessix cooperation fields of trade and economy, security, science andtechnology, international affairs and personnel exchanges.

Under the action, Russia and Japan would define economic and technical cooperation as top priorities in bilateral ties, promoteexchange and cooperation in the defense and law enforcement areas,and enhance cooperation in the international arena.

Koizumi arrived here Thursday for a four-day state visit, whichalso includes a stopover in the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.

During his three-hour talks with Putin in the Kremlin, the two discussed border dispute, the situation on the Korean peninsula, as well as Japanese access to Russian energy in the Far East.

The two leaders have met four times, but this was their first meeting in Moscow.

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