Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Russia

Japan, Russia Do Not Expect Kurile Agreement

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (file photo) (AFP)

17 November 2005 -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are reportedly not likely to sign a joint political statement on their disputed territories at their upcoming meeting.

TEXT SIZE - +

November 17, 2005

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported today that Koizumi sees "a substantial gap in opinions" between the two countries concerning four Pacific Ocean islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kuriles and Japan refers to as the Northern Territories.

The Soviet Army occupied the islands near the end of World War II, but Japan wants them back. The dispute has prevented the two countries from concluding a formal peace treaty.

Kyodo news agency today said the Japanese prime minister still hopes to build mutual confidence and expand exchanges over Putin's three-day visit to Japan scheduled to begin on 20 November.

(dpa)

RFE/RL Russia Report

SUBSCRIBE For news and analysis on Russia by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Russia Report."

Syrians in the northwestern town of Kfar Nubul pose with a cartoon depicting Russia

Angry Over Syria, Arab World Threatens Russian Boycott

Groups in a number of Arab states, angry over the Russian-Chinese veto of a UN resolution aimed at stopping the violence in Syria, have called for a one-day boycott of Russian and Chinese goods on February 12. More

Alla Dzhioyeva attends a protest by her supporters in Tskhinvali on January 28.

South Ossetian Opposition Leader Hospitalized After Raid

Alla Dzhioyeva, the opposition candidate whose victory in a runoff ballot in November for de facto president of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia was swiftly annulled by the republic's Supreme Court, was taken to a hospital after a raid by some 200 masked security personnel on her headquarters in Tskhinvali. More

Protesters gather behind a banner reading "Honest Elections" during a demonstration in Moscow on February 4.

How To Rig An Election

A whistle-blower in Samara explains how the authorities fixed the Duma elections in December -- and plan to do the same in the presidential vote in March. More