TOKYO (AP) — The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia agreed Saturday to strengthen economic and security cooperation but made no progress on resolving a long-standing territorial dispute over islands off northeastern Japan.
Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the two countries needed to address the territorial row in a calm manner.
The dispute over the islands — called the southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan — has kept the two nations from forging a peace treaty officially ending their World War II hostilities.
The islands were seized by Soviet troops in the closing days of the war. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to have oil, natural gas and mineral deposits.
“Resolving this problem and concluding a peace treaty is more necessary than ever,” Gemba said. “But unfortunately … our positions are different. We hope to resolve this through dialogue.”
Lavrov said tackling the matter would have to wait until a new leader is chosen in Russia’s presidential election on March 4.
The two men met for two hours in Tokyo for what Gemba described as “fruitful” discussions.
