SAKHALIN RESIDENTS PROTEST AGAINST POSSIBLE TRANSFER TO JAPAN OF PART OF KURILE ISLANDS

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, Nov 20 (RIA Novosti) - A rally to defend the territorial integrity of Russian territories was held Saturday in the administrative center of Russia's only island region, comprising Sakhalin Island and the Kurile Islands. Over 2,000 Sakhalin residents and guests gathered in the central square of the city which was before 1946 called Toyohara. They called on the Russian leadership to reject the idea of possible transfer of part of Southern Kuriles to Japan in exchange for a peaceful treaty with Japan and investments.

"The rally gathered Russian citizens, both those who are not members of any party and politically minded ones who believe Russia does not have to implement the Soviet-Japanese declaration of 1956, as official Tokyo violated it, claiming to get, besides Sikotan and Malaya Kurilskaya ridge archipelago, which is called Habomai in Japan, two other islands - Kunashir and Iturup," RIA Novosti was told by a regional duma deputy, coordinator of the regional public organization For Territorial Integrity and Inviolability of Russian Eastern Territories Sergei Ponomaryov.

The rally collected signatures under the letter to the Russian leadership demanding to never make territorial concessions to Japan. In observers' opinion, for the last five years, the rally became the most massed of protest rallies which gathered in one square supporters of different political movements.

The rally was provoked by the recent statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov where he touched upon the problem of concluding a peace treaty with Japan. Speaking on NTV, he in particular said that Russia, who is the legal successor of the former USSR, admits all international treaties concluded by the USSR, including the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan of October 10, 1956.