TOKYO. Feb 19 (Interfax) - Japan expects Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit in the second decade of April, and calls for the intensification of the negotiations on the peace treaty, promising to manifest flexibility if the territorial issue is resolved.
"Our position is that Japan is ready to manifest a flexible approach to the solution of issues relating to the deadlines and specific conditions, if it is confirmed that the four northern islands belong to Japan. I will refrain from mentioning the specific content of the negotiations to develop mutually acceptable solutions, but Japan is ready to conduct them very intensively," Toshihiro Aiki, deputy general director of the European department of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with Interfax, responding to a question as to whether Tokyo currently claims two Southern Kuril Islands (Habomai and Shikotan), or all of the four islands (Habomai, Shikotan, Iturup and Kunashir).
Speaking about the date of Sergei Lavrov's visit to Tokyo and the new round of the negotiations on the peace treaty, Aiki said: "The parties have reached an agreement to further coordinate their positions on the date of the Russian foreign minister's visit, it will likely take place in the second decade of April 2016."
"As for the next round of the negotiations on the peace treaty, we should also have more coordination, there is currently no decision on the next round," the source said.
"We believe we should speed up the negotiations on the work on mutually acceptable solutions to the problem on the basis of instructions from the administrations of both countries to sign a peace treaty resolving the problem of belonging of the four islands," the Japanese diplomat said.