MOSCOW (Sputnik) – It is difficult for Moscow and Tokyo to align positions on the issue of the bilateral peace treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday after talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.
"We have touched in detail upon the issue of the peace treaty… Therefore it is clear that it is not easy to align principal stances of countries, the issue is difficult," Lavrov told reporters.
Nevertheless, Moscow is interested in solving the issue, the Russian foreign minister added.
Japan and Russia never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II due to a disagreement over four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories, encompassing Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.
