China Urges Japan to Respect Post-WWII Order Amid Putin’s Kuril Islands Visit
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, China‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has emphasized that Japan must respect the international order that emerged after World War II, following the historic and controversial visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Iturup, the largest island among the disputed Kuril Islands. This stance comes as the U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo recognized Japan’s sovereignty over the Kuril Islands on the same day.
Russia and Japan have been unable to sign a peace treaty since the end of World War II due to the dispute over the ownership of the Kuril Islands.
The event occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kuril Islands in the Sakhalin region yesterday. Putin arrived on Iturup after observing the final stage of the Pacific Fleet’s exercise by boarding the guided-missile cruiser Varyag. Iturup is the largest island in the Kuril Islands chain and is part of Russia’s Sakhalin Oblast.
Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands was met with severe criticism from Japan, with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issuing a strong statement of protest.
In response to Japan’s objections regarding Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands, Dmitry Medvedev stated that the remarks made by Japanese officials about the Kuril Islands do not alter the reality, asserting that these islands are and will remain part of Russian territory. Medvedev warned that any party that fails to understand that the Kuril Islands belong to Russia will face severe consequences for their delusions.
