Photo: RIA Novosti
As a sign of protest against the visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s Kuril Islands, which Japan considers its northern territories, Tokyo has taken a number of diplomatic steps.
According to Reuters, a number of sources in government circles told Japanese reporters that Tokyo has decided to postpone the visit of Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida country in Russia, which has been tentatively scheduled for the end of August. In addition, the Head of European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hajime Hayashi protested, calling for this call to the Russian ambassador in Japan Yevgeny Afanasyev, informs television channel NHK.
It clarifies the issue, Hayashi said Afanasyev’s visit Prime Minister of Russia to the island of Etorofu, which Japan considers an integral part of the country, is extremely regrettable. The official reiterated Tokyo’s position that the visit is not compatible with the position of Japan on the four northern islands and “hurt the feelings of the Japanese people».
later received information that the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia Yevgeny Afanasyev was summoned to the Japanese Foreign Ministry where he was officially handed a note of protest in connection with the trip Medvedev to the Kuril Islands.
Premier Medvedev arrived in the Kuril Islands morning of August 22. During the visit, he visited the National Youth Educational Forum “Iturup” and examined the objects that are being built in the framework of the federal target program for the development of the Kuril Islands to 2025.
According to Medvedev, the priority will be given to foreign companies who “will come first.” “If this will be our Japanese neighbors – it’s not bad, but what will be the Chinese or Korean friends – too bad,” – said Medvedev.
The fact that the upcoming trip Medvedev to the Kuril Islands is unacceptable for Japan and may “hurt the soul of the Japanese people,” Counselor of the Embassy of Japan in Moscow Kazuesi Onishi said in July, immediately after becoming aware of the intention of the prime minister to visit the island.
The trip to the Kuril Islands was third for Medvedev. Last held in 2012, which caused serious discontent in Tokyo, where the trip Medvedev called “a tub of cold water.” For the first time Medvedev visited the Kuril Islands in 2010, as president of Russia. Then, the Japanese Foreign Ministry described the visit the head of state as “unpardonable rudeness».
In 2015 planned visit to Japan, Vladimir Putin, but the date has not yet been determined. July 20 press-secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said that the Kremlin is not yet known when the visit will take place. The next day, the agency Kyodo, citing sources in government circles reported a desire to Abe administration to make sure that the countries share similar views on the ways of solving the problem, and only then set a date for the official visit of President Vladimir Putin to Japan.
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