Japan-Russia Summit Meeting in Irkutsk
(Outline)
25 March 2001
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori met with President Vladimir Putin on 25 March in Irkutsk, Russian Federation. The talks were held in the forms of a limited attendance meeting, which lasted one hour and fifty minutes and focused on peace treaty negotiations, an expanded meeting and a working lunch, each one hour long.
1. Peace Treaty Negotiations
(1) The two leaders adopted the Irkutsk Statement, which summarizes the results of both sides' utmost efforts toward the conclusion of a peace treaty on the basis of the Krasnoyarsk Agreement, enabling the formation of a new foundation for future peace treaty negotiations. The major points of the Statement are:
- It was confirmed that the Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration in 1956 is a fundamental legal document that established the starting point in the peace treaty negotiations;
- Based on this confirmation, it was reaffirmed that a peace treaty should be concluded through the solution of issues concerning the attribution of the four islands (Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai) on the basis of the Tokyo Declaration on Japan-Russia Relations in 1993;
- It was agreed to decide at the earliest possible date a concrete direction for progress toward the conclusion of a peace treaty.
(2) The following points were touched upon during discussion of these issues.
Frank and constructive discussion was held regarding the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration and future direction of peace treaty negotiations. Although concrete agreement was not reached, enthusiasm and sincerity were felt from President Vladimir V. Putin of the Russian Federation, who expressed his desire to lead all issues between Japan and Russia toward resolution in a way that satisfies the honor and dignity of both sides. Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of Japan shared this resolve and explained Japan's position.
President Putin noted the difficulty of the reference he made to the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration in an interview with NHK, mentioning it was the first comment of its kind made by a Russian leader.
They shared the view that peace treaty negotiations should be accelerated and that experts' consultations and higher-level consultations should be held dynamically as needed.
President Putin hinted that along with the fact that he himself clearly stated that "the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration is effective," the implication of the 1960 Memorandum to the Government of Japan had changed.
2. Cooperation in Economic Sector
(1) Both sides agreed to cooperation toward the success of the mission to Russia of Keidanren Chairman Takashi Imai. Prime Minister Mori explained that the Government of Japan is giving its fullest assistance, and has thus decided to treat the mission as official dispatchment.
Prime Minister Mori explained the start of activities of the Japan Center in St. Petersburg and the opening of a Japan Center in Nizhni Novgorod within the year in terms of the expansion of the Japan Center network in Russia, noting that this would bring the total of Japan Centers in Russia to seven.
Prime Minister Mori reiterated his request for the securing of the smooth implementation of projects financed under the loan credit lines by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the fair and early settlement of the Santa Resort Hotel case, and the resolution of other pending issues.
In addition, Prime Minister Mori pointed out that Japan's fishermen are suffering adverse conditions regarding a series of issues in the fishing industry (severe decrease of the fishing quota for Pacific cod, indiscriminate fishing and damage of fishing gear by Russian trawlers, introduction of the auction system) and asked the Russian side to take the appropriate steps concerning these matters
(2) President Putin explained the intention to hold an early meeting of the Far East Subcommittee of the Intergovernmental Committee, consideration for a visit to Japan by the Russian Prime Minister, and the importance of cooperation in the areas of energy, science and technology, and space.
3. Defense Exchange and Security Dialogue
President Putin gave a positive evaluation of defense exchange between the two countries and indicated his intention to realize in the latter half of this year a visit to Russia by Director General of the Defense Agency Toshitsugu Saito and a visit to Japan by top-level officers of the Russian Air Force and Navy. Prime Minister Mori welcomed the fact that defense exchange and security dialogue between the countries, including the visit to Kamchatka by Japan Maritime Self Defense Force vessels and the visit to Japan by Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, are progressing steadily.
4. The International Situation
(1) Korean Peninsula: In response to Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's statement that Russia would like to work with Japan to contribute to the development of a good neighborly and friendly North-South relationship, Prime Minister Mori remarked that he applauded President Putin's efforts to maintain a balance between Russia's relationships with the Republic of Korea and North Korea, and mentioned that it is important to bring North Korea into the dialogue with the international community, and to call upon North Korea to respond positively to concerns over security (missile deployment and development), humanitarian and human rights matters (abduction issues).
(2) United Nations: In response to Foreign Minister Ivanov's statement that Russia would like to continue to advance Japan-Russia cooperation in the forum of the UN, including UN reforms, Prime Minister Mori expressed his approval and added that Japan would like to cooperate toward making the UN a winner rather than a loser in the 21st century.
(3) National Missile Defense (NMD), US Relations: In response to Foreign Minister Ivanov's statement that Russia would like to continue its constructive dialogue with the United States regarding the United States' NMD program, and would like to work toward achieving a consensus that is agreeable to both sides, Prime Minister Mori stated that consultations between Russia and other related countries is important, and that it is desirable that this matter be handled in a way that contributes to improvements of the global security environment, including the areas of arms control and disarmament. Prime Minister Mori also mentioned that during his visit to the United States, when he told President George W. Bush that Japan hopes the United States has thorough discussion with Russia regarding its missile defense, President Bush responded that the United States does not think of Russia as an enemy. To this, President Putin responded that he would like to consider President Bush's statement as a positive signal.
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