Russia 110215 Basic Political Developments
ANALYSIS: Fracas-free Russia talks relieve Japan
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ANALYSIS: Fracas-free Russia talks relieve Japanhttp://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201102140240.html 2011/02/15 MOSCOW--Japan-Russia relations are so tense that Japanese officials are relieved that a foreign ministers' meeting here did not blow up into an irreparable brawl over the Northern Territories. Friday's meeting between Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, failed to narrow the differences and ended with an agreement on the need for further discussions. That agreement came after Lavrov lambasted Japanese politicians' recent comments about the Northern Territories and showed that Moscow would not budge from its tough stance that has been more noticeable in recent weeks. "The various comments made on the day to commemorate the Northern Territories worsened the atmosphere of the relationship between Russia and Japan and play no useful role," Lavrov said. He was referring to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's speech on Feb. 7 at a rally calling for the return of the Northern Territories. Kan described Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kunashiri Island last November as "an unforgivable outrage." On the same day, a right-wing activist dishonored the Russian flag in front of the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, an event that was widely reported in the Russian media. "Under the circumstances in Japan in which a radical approach becomes overwhelming, having the Japanese government take a similar approach will serve no useful role in resolving the issue of agreeing on a peace treaty," Lavrov said at a news conference Friday. Some close to Kan feared that Maehara's first visit to Russia as foreign minister would lead to a collision with Lavrov. After the meeting, a high-ranking Japanese government official breathed a sigh of relief that the fallout from the barbs traded by the nations' leaders was not very deep. One Russian media report said Japan was satisfied with obtaining a promise from Russia to formally continue negotiations even if no actual results were produced at the meeting. With Japan's hands already full in dealing with an emerging China, worsening relations with Russia would force Tokyo to deal with diplomatic conflicts on two fronts. The territorial issue has become the biggest hurdle in Japan's attempt to create a strategic relationship with Russia. Some Japanese government officials view Russia's recent moves as a way of testing how far it can go on the territorial issue. "Russia's stance toward Japan will become increasingly severe," a Foreign Ministry official said. "Conditions now can even be considered good." During his meeting with Lavrov, Maehara agreed on holding high-level discussions between officials of the two nations on economic cooperation on the Northern Territories. Japan apparently could not reject such discussions because it is competing with China and South Korea over economic development projects in Russia's Far East. "While there are differences in the positions of the two nations, we confirmed that discussions would continue under the various documents that we have agreed to until now and based on law and justice," Maehara said. A Japanese government source said circumstances have changed since the Cold War because a cooperative relationship with Russia in the economic and national security sectors was now in the mutual interests of the two nations. However, Japanese officials are not expecting Russia to ease its stance on the Northern Territories until after its presidential election in 2012. Some Japanese officials are hoping that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is believed to be more sympathetic to the Japanese position than Medvedev, will return to the president's office. That could provide the timing for Japan to propose a more flexible option on the Northern Territories that moves away from current calls for the return of all four islands at once. Despite the frigid atmosphere in bilateral relations, Lavrov said his meeting with Maehara was beneficial and that negotiations should continue. But he made clear that Russia would not change its position, and he also indicated that Japan must show more of an acceptance of Russia's historical position, which fundamentally sees the Northern Territories as having moved to Russian control as a result of World War II. There are also signs that Russian officials are viewing the recent strong comments from Japan as Kan's attempt to improve the plummeting support ratings for his Cabinet. (This article was compiled from reports by Yukie Yamao, Hideki Soejima and Maki Hoshii.) Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 Russia-held isles past point of returnhttp://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110215a3.html Moscow woos other outsiders, ups defensesBy MASAMI ITO Staff writer Japan has failed for more than half a century to secure the return of four islands seized by Soviet forces off Hokkaido near the end of World War II, and Moscow's recent moves to bolster its hold on the territories dims the likelihood of any concessions from Russia. Moscow is now threatening to push Japan out of the picture by reaching out to China and South Korea to join in on economic development of the South Kurils, which, according to Russia includes the four disputed islands Tokyo officially calls the Northern Territories. Just last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated he welcomes foreign investment from countries like China, South Korea and Japan to develop the islands during a news conference after a meeting with his Tokyo counterpart, Seji Maehara, in Moscow. Nobuo Shimotomai, a professor of international relations at Hosei University, said it was obviously an intimidation tactic targeting Japan. "It is transparently obvious that Russia is trying to contain Japan, sending out a signal that if Tokyo doesn't respond," Russia will turn to China and South Korea, Shimotomai said. "But at the same time, Russia has been increasing its level of diplomacy in Asia, and there is an aspect that it is trying to get China and Japan, as well as South Korea, to compete to see which country would prove to be the biggest merit to Russia." Russia has been urging Japan to participate in jointly developing the islands, but Tokyo has been reluctant because such action would be in accordance with Moscow's rules and laws — and such abidance would be tantamount to accepting Russian sovereignty. A Foreign Ministry official said the government also cannot countenance the participation of other nations in the islands' development. "Be it a third country, the Japanese government considers any activity on the Northern Territories based on the assumption that Russia has control over them to be inconsistent with Japan's position," the official said, adding that this position has been conveyed to other nations being approached. During the bilateral meeting last week, Maehara and Lavrov agreed to hold high-level discussions on the possibility of joint economic activities on the islands that would not affect "Japan's legal position." While little progress could be seen from the meeting amid strained bilateral ties over the islands, Shimotomai said the agreement could be viewed as a positive step. Maehara's visit to Russia last week to seek a breakthrough in the deadlocked situation over the islands instead highlighted the strained bilateral relations, critics said. "I (didn't) see the necessity of Maehara visiting Russia at this time," said Shigeki Hakamada, a professor of Russian studies at Aoyama Gakuin University. "It would be different if Russia was not only focused on developing economic cooperation but also on concluding a peace treaty. Its actions in the past few months, however, say otherwise." The Soviet Union seized the islands of Shikotan, Kunashiri and Etorofu and the Habomai islets at the end of World War II and later evicted all of the 17,000 Japanese residents. The dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing an official World War II peace treaty. Last November, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Kremlin leader to visit Kunashiri. Since then, various key Russian ministers and government officials have made trips, angering Japan. At a Feb. 7 Tokyo-sponsored rally to commemorate Northern Territories Day, Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Medvedev's visit an "unforgivable outrage." That in turn, triggered harsh criticism from Russia. During last week's news conference, Maehara admitted bilateral talks "ran parallel," while Lavrov pointedly criticized Kan's comment on Medvedev's Kunashiri trip. The Russian foreign minister added that there will be no prospect for negotiations if Japan intends to take "a radical approach." The islands are important for Russia not only because of their rich resources, but also because of their strategic value, said Aoyama Gakuin's Hakamada. According to the professor, the Russian military has been keen on restoring its military presence on the islands, which provide a pathway through the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific, as in the Soviet days. Hakamada pointed out that Russia was mainly eyeing the U.S. for strategic reasons while trying to contain Japan politically. "Various countries have been strengthening, not weakening, their militaristic presence in the region," Hakamada said. "Russia is politically appealing its presence on the islands toward Japan, while militaristically, it is focusing more on the U.S." According to media reports, Medvedev gave orders to strengthen Russia's military presence on the islands. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who visited the islands earlier this month, said the Russian military's armaments there would be upgraded. "The Northern Territories are the inherent territory of Japan from the viewpoint of international law and Russia does not have any internationally legal grounds," Maehara told reporters last week in Tokyo. "Therefore, regardless of which leading figures or people visit the islands or whether Russia may strengthen or weaken its military presence, it does not change . . . the evaluation of international law that they are the inherent territory of Japan," he said.
Tuesday 15 February 2011 Junior economic affairs minister Henk Bleker has reached a deal with Russia for the immediate ending of the export blockade of agricultural products. Exports to Russia are worth around €1bn a year. The blockade was introduced because the Russians did not trust the Dutch system of quality checks carried out by private companies. Consequently, shipments were regularly held up at the border. Bleker has agreed that agricultural products will be checked by the government's food safety authority while private companies are improved to a level that will satisfy the Russians, reports Trouw. © DutchNews.nl Directory: gifiles -> attach attach -> British Forces – Akrioti, Greece Griffin Fighter Squadron (84 Squadron raf) MoD announced possible Typhoon and Tornado arrivals to the base France attach -> Russia 110204 Basic Political Developments attach -> Unclassified//for official use only attach -> Adaptability Sustainment attach -> Pop-up 1 ("C" Chechnya) Header Text: Emir of the Caucasus Emirate Doku Umarov Image attach -> Russia and Islam are not Separate attach -> Chapter 13: The Northern Caucasus attach -> Russia 100209 Basic Political Developments attach -> The evolution attach -> The devolution Download 297.4 Kb. Share with your friends:
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