Putin urges to stop "historical ping-pong" about fate of islands

Solution to the territorial dispute and the conclusion of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan cannot be reached instantly, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed at a press conference after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, according to TASS.

"It would be naive to believe that we can solve this (territorial dispute over the South Kuril Islands) overnight, but it is necessary to search for a solution that would meet the strategic interests of Russia and Japan and that would be accepted by people of both countries," the Russian leader said calling the absence of a peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo "an anachronism of the past."

Putin said impossible to solve issue of peace treaty with Japan instantly. Putin urges to stop "historical ping-pong" about the fate of the islands; the interests of both countries require long-term and full settlement.

Putin said he was confident that the sides needed to come to final and long-term settlement.

"To our mind, it is necessary to stop this historical ping-pong for these territories and finally realize that the fundamental interests of both Japan and Russia require final and long-term settlement and this is the crux of the matter," the Russian president said at a press conference on the results of his talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Putin said he hopes joint business activity on Kuril Islands will foster peace treaty between Russia, Japan.

He noted that the initiative on the joint economic activities in the southern Kuril Islands had been supported by both leaders. "We hope that such cooperation will contribute to creating a favorable atmosphere for continuing talks on signing a peace treaty," Putin said.