俄國總統會訪問日本

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

ロ大統領 訪日招待を受け入れ

1月21日 23時3分

ロシアのラブロフ外相は、プーチン大統領が安倍総理大臣の招待を受け入れ、日本を訪問する意向を明らかにし、首脳どうしが接触を重ねながら、北方領土問題を含む平和条約交渉に取り組むべきだという考えを示しました。

ロシアのラブロフ外相は２１日、１年の初めにあたって国内外の記者との会見に臨みました。
この中でラブロフ外相は、「プーチン大統領は安倍総理大臣の招待を受け入れた」と述べ、プーチン大統領が日本を訪問する意向を固め、両国政府の間で時期を調整していくことを明らかにしました。
また、安倍総理大臣が来月７日のソチオリンピックの開会式に出席する方向で調整していることを念頭に、「そう遠くない将来、首脳どうしの接触が続く。今後の政府間の作業に方向性を示すことになり、高く評価する」と述べました。
そのうえでラブロフ外相は、北方領土問題を含む平和条約交渉については極めて繊細で難しい問題だとしながらも、「双方が受け入れ可能な解決策を模索していく必要があり、粘り強く取り組む用意がある」と述べ、首脳どうしが接触を重ねながら、平和条約交渉に取り組むべきだという考えを示しました。
さらに、今月３１日に東京で行われる日ロの外務次官級協議について、「北方領土問題を歴史的な側面から検討する予定だ」と述べ、ロシア側の歴史認識に基づいて交渉したいという考えを示しました。

(試譯文)

Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia clarified that President Putin had accepted Prime Minister Abe's invitation, showing the intention to visit Japan and the idea that a peace treaty negotiation that included the issue on the Northern Territories would be tackled through repeated contacts between the leaders.

On 21^st Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia attended an interview with journalists in the beginning of the year outside the country.

In this interview Foreign Minister Lavrov said that "President Putin has accepted Prime Minister Abe's invitation", indicating the intention for President Putin to visit Japan and showed clearly that between the two countries the governments were adjusting their time.

Moreover, the adjustment was done bearing in mind that Prime Minister Abe would attend the opening ceremony of the 7th Olympic Winter Games at Sochi next month. It was said that "leaders will continue their contacts in the not too distant future. It will indicate the future working direction between the governments, and thus is highly evaluated".

On top of that, although the peace treaty negotiation that included the issue on the Northern Territories would be a very delicate problem, Foreign Minister Lavrov said "it is necessary to grope for a solution which both sides can accept, and be ready to tackle it tenaciously" and showed the idea that through leaders’ repeated contacts, the peace treaty negotiation would be tackled.

Furthermore, it was said that during the Vice-Minister level diplomatic deliberations between Japan and Russia scheduled to be held in Tokyo on the 31st of this month, it "would examine the Northern Territories issue from the historical side", and showed the idea of hoping to negotiate based on the understanding of Russia’s history.

It is nice to note that Japan and Russia could negotiate their territorial disputes through negotiations.