Abe and Putin on Talks Regarding Disputes on Territories

by Agatha Austria / Sep 04, 2016 11:37 AM EDT

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to settle island disputes with Russia.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Vladivostok to hold negotiations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin regarding disputes on islands.

Russia refers to the islands as "Kuriles" while Japan claims them as "Northern Territories." Negotiations on this matter is one of Mr. Abe's priorities after he was reseated by the upper house elections.

The Japanese leader takes a new strategy to deal with Russia which includes stronger economic ties and investments. Mr. Abe plans to boost resources company owned by the state government and encouraged them to make investments applicable to Russia. In a Japanese paper, Mr. Abe said, "I hope to have a heart to heart talk with President Putin to move forward on the issue of a peace treaty and the Northern Territories."

Mr. Putin stated that "certain compromises" are possible with mutual respect between Moscow and Tokyo. In his interview with Bloomberg, he emphasized that money cannot buy compromise. He said "we do not trade territories although concluding a peace treaty with Japan is certainly a key issue and we would like to find a solution to this problem together with our Japanese friends."

The Russian president also expressed his eagerness to have negotiations where solutions would not be disadvantageous for both parties. He added that neither China nor Russia should feel defeated or conquered with the compromise.

The Financial Times reported that Japan aims to establish cooperation with Russia through joint oil exploration, technology projects and establishment of nuclear and renewable energy. Japan offers help from its high-tech sector to Mr. Putin's nation.

Russia and China settled their disputes on borders in 2004 due to their bond and trust with one another. This makes settlement between Russia and Japan also possible. However, Mr. Putin cleared that the current dispute is more sensitive as it is a result of military conflicts during the World War II. Japan never joined the post-war peace treaty with the Soviet Union due to Moscow's claim to the Kuril chain.