MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow will continue peace treaty talks with Tokyo, despite Japan's attempts to question Russia's ownership of the South Kurils, the Russian president said on Friday.
Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal treaty ending World War II hostilities, due to the dispute over the four South Kuril Islands, former Japanese territory annexed by the Soviet Union at the end of the war.
"We will proceed with dialogue to find a mutually acceptable solution to the peace treaty problem, however we cannot but notice attempts by our Japanese partners to doubt Russia's sovereignty of the Kuril Islands," Dmitry Medvedev said when receiving credentials from ambassadors.
He said such actions did not contribute to the continuation of talks and urged Tokyo to "assess the situation appropriately and draw the right conclusions."
Medvedev also said however that "Constructive cooperation between Russia and Japan is an important factor in maintaining stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region."
