Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his frustration on Monday regarding the absence of Japan’s ambassador to Moscow, who has yet to respond to a summons from the Russian Foreign Ministry. This meeting was intended to address the diplomatic conflict stemming from President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the Kuril Islands, territories claimed by Japan, as reported by the Spanish news agency EFE.
At the Japanese Embassy, officials indicated that the ambassador could not attend the meeting on either Friday or Monday. Lavrov emphasized the necessity for the ambassador to comply with the summons, stating, “He must come to the Foreign Ministry.”
Lavrov further noted that Moscow aims to discuss how the Japanese diplomatic mission should conduct its activities in Russia, stressing adherence to local laws and procedures for foreign diplomats. He expressed displeasure over the Japanese embassy’s invitation to a delegation of Japanese businessmen without prior notification to Russian authorities, according to Agerpres.
Additionally, Lavrov criticized the Japanese government’s reactions to Putin’s visit last Thursday to Iturup Island, the largest of the four islands forming the Southern Kurils, referred to by Tokyo as the “Northern Territories.” Japan administered the entire archipelago until the end of World War II.
He stated, “Our Japanese colleagues, certainly, have far exceeded the limits of good sense with their absolutely unacceptable statements claiming that the Russian president cannot visit a certain part of the territory of the Russian Federation.”
According to the Kremlin, on August 13, Putin met with residents of Iturup, which has a population of about 7,000. During this visit, he urged remembrance of those who fell during the operation that took place in September 1945, marking the last major battle of the Red Army in World War II.
The Japanese government quickly protested Putin’s visit to Iturup (known as Etorofu in Japan), an event extensively covered by Japanese media.
Japan summoned its ambassador to Russia, Nikolai Nozdriev, in Tokyo, where Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivered a “strong protest.”
Furthermore, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described Putin’s visit as “absolutely unacceptable,” asserting that the Kremlin leader “hurts the feelings of the Japanese people.”
Relations between Russia and Japan are strained due to the ongoing dispute over four Kuril Islands occupied by Soviet forces in 1945, during the final days of World War II.
