MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Moscow says it cannot understand the reaction of Japan to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the South Kuril Islands.
"We don't underhand the reaction of the Japanese side. Russia's stance on the issue remains in force and there have been no changes," a Russian Foreign Ministry source told Interfax on Monday.
In the wings of the ASEAN summit in Hanoi on October 30 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that President Dmitry Medvedev's travels around Russia are a home policy issue. "I am responsible for foreign policy, while the Kuril Islands are part of Russian territory and belong to the domain of home policy. The president plans his domestic travels himself," Lavrov said.
On Monday the Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned Russian ambassador to Tokyo Mikhail Bely to hand a note of protest over the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the South Kuril islands, EFE news agency reported on Monday.
Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said the visit "injures the feelings of the population of Japan."
Earlier Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the visit to the islands which Tokyo is claiming regrettable.