OSLO: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to visit other islands disputed with Japan and step up investments in the archipelago, Russia’s foreign minister said on Tuesday, deepening a diplomatic row between Moscow and Tokyo.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attending a conference in Oslo, said Japan had over-reacted after Medvedev on Monday visited one of four islands seized by Russia from Japan at the end of World War Two.
Japan said it was recalling its ambassador from Moscow. The rainy and windswept islands are known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan. They stretch from northeast of Japan’s main northern island of Hokkaido to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
“The president said he will visit the other islands … in this small group,” Lavrov told a news conference via an interpreter, referring to a conversation with Medvedev. “This morning I spoke to Medvedev and he was pleased with his visit,” Lavrov said.
The timeframe was not given. “The president noted that, until now, rather insufficient resources have been earmarked for the development of these islands. This situation will be improved,” he said.
Earlier, Japan said it was recalling its ambassador to Moscow temporarily after Medvedev’s visit. Lavrov said Russia was not planning to recall its ambassador to Tokyo and said that Japan was over-reacting.
“We have already made clear that protests and such strong reactions are unacceptable for us and we will continue to have such views,” he said.
“I don’t think we plan any steps on our side because we never undertook anything that would worsen our relations with Japan. We are not planning any foreign trips for our ambassador in Tokyo,” he said.
Russian president to visit other isles off Japan
