Russia won't cede Kuril Islands to Japan

Russia has no plans to cede parts of the Kuril Islands to Japan, the country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"We aren't doing this and we won't do this. We won't cede the Kuril Islands and we won't beg Japan for a peace agreement," Xinhua quoted Lavrov as saying.

Moscow and Tokyo have territorial disputes over the four Pacific islands, known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, which prevented the two sides from inking a peace treaty after World War II.

Lavrov said the sanctions against Russia imposed by the US and its allies should be seen as an opportunity to diversify the country's economy.

--IANS

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