Russia, Japan Foreign Ministries Discuss 3rd Round of Peace Treaty Talks

Russia and Japan are in deputy foreign ministerial-level talks on Sunday to define a timeframe for a third round of peace treaty negotiations.

TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japan and Russia never signed a peace treaty after World War II because of a disagreement over four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories. The disputed islands, located in the Sea of Okhotsk, were claimed by Soviet forces at the end of WWII.

"I am ready today for constructive dialogue on the bilateral agenda, as well as on pressing international issues," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said ahead of the meeting.

Japan’s former ambassador to Russia Tikahito Harada, Tokyo’s special representative on Russian-Japanese ties, noted that he was looking forward to "developing positive dynamics in the framework of this meeting."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last Wednesday, announcing the talks, that the sides intended to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including political dialogue.

On Friday, Japanese media reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could come to Russia with an unofficial visit in late April to early May 2016. According to the reports, Abe could meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit.