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Russia's Medvedev lands on disputed Far East island

(Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev landed on Tuesday on a remote island chain seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two, Russian news agencies reported, in a trip likely to renew a territorial dispute with Japan.

Medvedev caused uproar in Japan in 2010 when he became the first Russian leader to visit the disputed island chain known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

After that visit, he promised to send more modern arms to an artillery division deployed on the windswept archipelago.

The islands lie off Russia's eastern coast, some 7,000 km (4,350 miles) away from Moscow. The island of Kunashir, the last in the chain, where Medvedev landed, is only about 15 km from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Russia is raising its profile on its vast but sparsely populated eastern seaboard in advance of an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok in September.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/03/us-russia-japan-islands-idUSBRE8620AV20120703
Reply 1
Avatar for Adam.
Adam.
2
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia supports Dmitry Medvedev's claim to the disputed island.

It is hoped that the dispute can be resolved as a short-term goal between the two countries.
Reply 2
Avatar for Cmmah
Cmmah
6
Uruguay hopes that an agreement can be reached between the two countries.
The MHoC hopes that a swift resolution to the issue can be found.
Reply 4
Avatar for eff01
eff01
16
Georgia views the visit by Dmitry Medvedev to the Northern Territories as act of unnecessary aggression that should be condemned by the international community. Georgia recognises the Northern Territories (Islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and the Habomai rocks) to be the sovereign territories of the Japanese state and any claims by Russia to the territories should be rejected. Georgia shares a close relationship with Tokyo and looks forward to working with our Japanese friends in the future.
Reply 5
Avatar for stanlas
stanlas
The Czech Republic agrees with Georgia calling the situation an 'act of unnecessary aggression.' We believe that the Russian leadership is doing this for purely political moves, to distract its population from the appalling lack of democracy and accountability in the country.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 6
Avatar for frankayak
frankayak
Latvia believes that increasing speculation and pressure from other states will only aggravate the situation. Japan would not contemplate a war over these small islands and any such war would be totally unacceptable. We can support negotiation but sometimes we must step back and not interfere in a regional issue where only Japan and Russia should have a say.
Reply 7
Avatar for cl_steele
cl_steele
2
Australia remains neutral in this dispute but encourages any proactive dialogue between the russian federation and Japan over this contentious issue.
Israel hopes for a peaceful resolution to this situation.
India urges both Russia and Japan to engage diplomatically to prevent this situation from escalating.

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