The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on information that appeared in the media that in the 1970s the Soviet Union was allegedly ready to hand over to Japan two of the four South Kuril islands that Tokyo claims.
Russia’s sovereignty over the South Kuriles is undeniable, the country’s Foreign Ministry said. The diplomats noted that historians should study the materials of the past. This also applies to some private opinions or estimates of a presumptive nature.
Representatives of the department recalled that the Soviet leadership and the Russian authorities have always adhered to a single opinion on the issue of the South Kuriles. The islands became part of the country as a result of the Second World War, and the sovereignty of the Russian Federation over them is undeniable, diplomats said in an interview.
On May 23, the Japanese agency Kyodo published declassified documents stating that the USSR allegedly intended to transfer two of the four islands of the Kuril ridge.
