RUSSIA: JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS FOR TALKS ON KURIL ISLANDS скачать в хорошем качестве

RUSSIA: JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS FOR TALKS ON KURIL ISLANDS

(30 May 1999) Russian/Nat Russia and Japan continued the 50-year-long saga of negotiations over the disputed Kuril islands in Moscow on Saturday, when Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura visited Russia. Soviet troops seized the group of islands located just north of Japan at the end of World War Two and both countries have disputed ownership ever since. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura were all smiles during their meeting. Their two nations have never signed a peace treaty ending World War Two, however relations have become increasingly cordial since a ground-breaking 1997 summit between ex-premier of Japan Ryutaro Hashimoto and Russian President Boris Yeltsin in the Siberian town of Krasnoyarsk. The two leaders had promised to work on a peace deal formally ending hostilities between Russia and Japan. In dispute is the four Kuril Islands. Japan claims them as their own, but Moscow insists on its ownership. The warming of relations started by Hashimoto and Yeltsin led to the setting-up of various joint projects aimed at narrowing their differences. Meeting Komura, Igor Ivanov said one such project was already near final agreement. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "In principle the text of exchange notes has been agreed which will formalise the fundamental agreement between Russia and Japan - this agreement was reached last year during the visit of the Japanese prime minister to Russia - about the so-called unrestricted visits to the South Kuril Islands for the islands' former residents who are Japanese citizens." SUPER CAPTION: Igor Ivanov, Russian Foreign Minister Komura was in Moscow to pave the way for further meetings between Yeltsin and Japanese premier Keizo Obuchi. As part of that process, he met with Russia's new Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, whose cabinet was still reeling from Friday's sudden resignation of Mikhail Zadornov, first deputy prime minister in charge of macro economics. Stepashin said the latest government reshuffle in Russia would not affect his country's relations with Japan. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) "The changes taking place in the Russian government have no influence on the long-term relations between Russia and Japan." SUPER CAPTION: Sergei Stepashin, Russian Prime Minister Yeltsin's visit to Japan is tentatively scheduled for this autumn. However, before travelling to Tokyo, Yeltsin is expected to hold a meeting with Obuchi during a summit of the leaders of the world's seven major industrialised countries and Russia in Cologne in June. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...