MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Dmitry Medvedev, who on Monday became the first Russian president to set foot on the Kuril Islands, has the right to visit any Russian region he chooses, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in response to comments made by Japanese officials condemning the visit.
"The reaction of the Japanese side to the visit of President Medvedev to the Kurils is unacceptable. This is our land and the Russian president visited Russian land," he said at a Monday press conference responding to a question from an Interfax correspondent.
"The Japanese ambassador to Russia will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry today and we will confirm our stance once again clearly and unequivocally," he said.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry earlier summoned Russian ambassador to Japan Mikhail Bely to hand over a note of protest.
"The Japanese side must draw conclusions for itself, of course," Lavrov said. "I want to stress once again that such demarches on its part are unacceptable."
Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara earlier said the visit "hurts the feelings of the Japanese population," while Prime Minister Naoto Kan called it "regrettable."