The European Union ambassador in Japan, Jean-Enric Paquet, has condemned this Thursday the visit that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made a week ago to one of the islands of the Kuril archipelago, territory in dispute with Japan and which marks his first visit to this area.
The head of the community delegation in the Asian country has expressed his concern about this decision and has indicated that "it increases tension and undermines efforts towards a peaceful resolution under International Law" in relation to these islands, referred to in Japan as the Northern Territories.
"(The visit) comes amid destabilizing military activity in the region and Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine. The EU stands with Japan, our key partner," he stated in a message posted on social media.
Putin's move has led the United States to reiterate its full support for Japan, while China has urged Tokyo to "comply" with what was agreed after World War II. In turn, the UN has called for "restraint" and has demanded to avoid a new escalation of tension in the area.
Japan has been pending for decades the signing of a peace treaty with Russia in hopes of regaining sovereignty over these islands. Tokyo bases its position on the Bilateral Treaty of Trade and Borders signed with Moscow on February 7, 1855, while the Kremlin maintains its position based on the international agreements signed at the end of World War II.