Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Japan's stance on his recent visit to the Southern Kuril Islands "did not surprise him," noting that what truly surprised him was Japan's general attitude towards Russia.
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This came in a press conference held by Putin at the conclusion of his visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, in response to a question about Tokyo’s protest against his visit on August 13 to Iturup Island, which Japan considers part of its territory, while Moscow asserts that Russian sovereignty over it is “not up for discussion.”
The Russian president stressed that the responsibility for the deterioration of relations between the two countries lies entirely with the Japanese government, saying: "Everything that is happening now in Russian-Japanese relations, and the deterioration of our relations – is entirely the responsibility of the Japanese government. What have we done against Japan? Absolutely nothing."
Putin added that Russia had not taken "any step" towards deteriorating relations, but had dealt with the issue very carefully, recalling that Moscow was ready to continue discussing the peace treaty issue and resolving humanitarian issues, including allowing Japanese citizens to visit the islands.
The Russian president explained that Tokyo had started "out of nowhere" to cause the deterioration of relations step by step without any provocation from the Russian side, noting that the Japanese had crossed "the line of propriety" in their statements regarding the Russian president's lack of right to visit any part of his country's territory, as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously indicated.
