Putin's Yes Man ! - Nothing to comment on’ – FM on Medvedev’s Kuril trip

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sees no need to comment on Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s trip to Southern Kuril Islands.

The head of the Russian government “was on an ordinary trip across his country” dealing with issues of social and economic development of this crucially important Russian strategic region, Lavrov told a media conference on Tuesday.

“Our Japanese neighbors know about such Russia’s position perfectly well,” Lavrov pointed out. He noted that Moscow maintains its stance on the Kuril Islands during the continuing peace treaty negotiations.

Russia and Japan have technically been at war since the WW2. According to Lavrov, the sides should move to signing the treaty through the implementation of earlier reached agreements on cooperation in various fields rather than through protests regularly renewed “with or without a reason.”

"We hope that very soon there will be another meeting between the Russian and Japanese Foreign Ministers, where we will substantially and constructively discuss issues of growth of bilateral cooperation,” Lavrov said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry protested over Medvedev’s trip to Kunashir Island and summoned the Russian Ambassador to give an explanation. Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba stated the visit “pours cold water” on relations between the countries. According to Japanese media, the minister may even postpone his visit to Moscow scheduled for late July.