JAPAN/FILE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba say they will strengthen ties over regional security issues in a joint news conference in Tokyo

Record ID: 466185

  • Title: JAPAN/FILE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba say they will strengthen ties over regional security issues in a joint news conference in Tokyo
  • Date: 29th January 2012
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JANUARY 28, 2012) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV AND JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KOICHIRO GEMBA WALKING IN AND TAKING SEATS VARIOUS OF LAVROV SIGNING AGREEMENT GEMBA SIGNING AGREEMENT LAVROV AND GEMBA SHAKING HANDS LAVROV AND GEMBA STANDING AT PODIUMS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "Russia and Japan will expand areas of cooperation on the global stage; especially, we'll strengthen ties over the security issues in Asia-Pacific region." MORE OF LAVROV AND GEMBA STANDING AT PODIUMS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KOICHIRO GEMBA SAYING: "The positions of the two countries on the territorial issue are largely different, but the atmosphere of mutual trust has been established, so we will relentlessly continue bilateral discussions on this issue in a calm and steady manner." CAMERA OPERATOR LAVROV AND GEMBA DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV SAYING: "The participants of the six-party talks want to see North Korea's gesture toward nuclear disarmament as an evidence of its readiness to return to the dialogue." RUSSIAN DELEGATES LISTENING TO LAVROV (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KOICHIRO GEMBA SAYING: "What is important now is that North Korea show us some actions toward nuclear disarmament. Japan is not rejecting all dialogues with North Korea." VARIOUS OF LAVROV AND GEMBA SHAKING HANDS AND WALKING OFF
  • Embargoed: 13th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA61YU6RUMJ0RKFIAHJ5JYJCNVK
  • Story Text: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba announced on Saturday (January 28) they will strengthen ties in maintaining regional security amid China's growing military presence in the Asia-Pacific.
    They held talks in Tokyo where the long-running territorial disputes over a string of northern islands, as well as regional security issues including North Korea was discussed.
    "Russia and Japan will expand areas of cooperation on global stage; especially, we'll strengthen ties over the security issues in Asia-Pacific region," Lavrov said in a joint news conference after the talk.
    Beijing's recent military buildup, which includes nascent stealth jet and aircraft carrier programmes, has worried many of its neighbours.
    Russia and Japan have not had close security ties and the two nations have a territorial dispute dating from the last days of World War Two over islands known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.
    Gemba said peaceful talks on the issue will continue.
    "The positions of the two countries on the territorial issue are largely different, but the atmosphere of mutual trust has been established, so we will relentlessly continue bilateral discussions on this issue in a calm and steady manner, Gemba said.
    President Dmitry Medvedev caused a storm in November 2010 when he became the first president to visit the remote islands off Russia's Pacific coast, promising increased federal investment.
    Moscow continued fueling the row in May 2011, when it revealed a plan to build two military posts in the chain of islands claimed by both countries in 2012.
    Soviet troops occupied the four islands off Japan's Hokkaido at the end of World War Two, and they have remained in Moscow's hands, precluding a formal peace treaty.
    Russia and Japan were part of the six-party talks which included the two Koreas, the United States and China. They have been stalled since 2008 when the North walked away from an aid-for-disarmament deal.
    "The participants of the six-party talks want to see North Korea's gesture toward nuclear disarmament as an evidence of its readiness to return to the dialogue," Lavrov said.
    Constraining North Korea is especially important for Japan, which is within range of the North's missiles and wants it to resolve the issue of the fate of Japanese citizens kidnapped and taken to North Korea to help train spies decades ago.
    Japan was keen to see North Korea take action towards nuclear disarmament.
    "What is important now is that North Korea show us some actions toward nuclear disarmament. Japan is not rejecting all dialogues with North Korea," Gemba said.
    North Korea has called for the resumption of the nuclear talks, but Washington and Seoul have been reluctant to rush back to the table, wary of Pyongyang's potential to engage in protracted negotiations only to walk away from its obligations.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register