Russian lawmaker says no talks being held on island handover to Japan
TOKYO - Moscow cannot give up disputed Pacific islands to Japan, and no talks are underway for a possible handover, the head of Russia's upper chamber of parliament said on Tuesday, underlining a tough task facing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Valentina Matviyenko's comment comes as Abe aims to make progress in a decades-old territorial row when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Japan next month.
Japan claims a string of Russian-controlled western Pacific islands. The row over the island chain, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, has upset diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a peace treaty between the two countries.
