Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a decision to designate four northwestern Pacific islands at the center of a longstanding territorial issue with Japan as a special economic zone.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a decision to designate four northwestern Pacific islands at the center of a longstanding territorial issue with Japan as a special economic zone.
The two nations are in talks on jointly carrying out economic activities on and around the Russian-held islands, which are collectively known as the northern territories in Japan.
While Tokyo hopes that such joint activities will be conducted under a special framework that will not undermine the two sides’ respective legal positions for the islands, Russia’s unilateral designation may run counter to Japan’s stance, informed sources said.
