Abe Putin: Talks and Questions Answers

abe putin: This apparently indicates that Japan may give up its sovereign claims to the two larger islands Etorofu and Kunashiri because the 1956 document does not mention those two at all, observers say, according to The Japan Times. But Putin also noted after the meeting that the 1956 joint declaration does not specify which country sovereignty of the two islands belongs to. Following are some basic questions and answers about the ongoing Tokyo-Moscow territorial talks What is the focus of the negotiations to come Abe and Putin agreed in their meeting in Singapore last November that they would accelerate talks to conclude a bilateral postwar peace treaty, and that the foundation of their talks would be the 1956 joint declaration signed by the two countries, which stipulates Russia would hand over two small islands Shikotan and the Habomai islet group of the disputed territory. Thus the first major hurdle for Abe to overcome will be to have Putin admit that the sovereignty of at least the two small islands belongs to Japan. Russian media reported Sunday that Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the key condition for resolving the territorial issue is Tokyo's unconditional recognition of the outcome of World War II, including Russia's sovereignty over the four disputed islands. Russia, however, has maintained a tough stance as far as public comments have been concerned. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.