Russian Foreign Ministry summons German Ambassador Lambsdorff.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned Germany's Ambassador, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, following remarks made by Germany's ambassador to Japan that questioned Russia's sovereignty over the Southern Kuril Islands [1]. Russia has strongly protested these statements, viewing them as an encroachment on its territorial integrity.
This dispute between Russia and Japan over the Southern Kuril Islands, also known as the Northern Territories by Japan, is a longstanding territorial conflict. Russia claims the islands were legally transferred after World War II, based on agreements among the Allied powers such as the Yalta Agreement. Japan, on the other hand, argues that it renounced the islands in the San Francisco Peace Treaty but disputes the legality of Soviet acquisition since the Soviet Union was not a signatory to that treaty [1][2][3].
The diplomatic spat comes as Ambassador Lambdorff has repeatedly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine in public. The German Embassy in Moscow has rejected the accusation that Ambassador Petra Sigmund's statements supposedly violated Russian sovereignty [1]. Ambassador Sigmund herself has also rejected the accusations made by Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claims that the sovereignty over the Southern Kuril Islands is undisputed and recognized by the United Nations [1]. However, the German side was reminded that siding with Japan's territorial claims would be "particularly offensive" in the year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a protest note to Germany, warning against questioning the results of World War II [1].
This is not the first time Ambassador Lambdorff has been summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Previously, he was informed about "retaliatory measures" in response to the alleged persecution of Russian journalists in Germany [1].
The ongoing dispute and the recent diplomatic tensions highlight the complexities of international politics, with Russia's revisionism identified as a problem. Russia is accused of deliberately and consistently violating the basic principles of the European peace order and the UN Charter [1].
[1] Associated Press, "Russia Summons German Ambassador Over Remarks on Kuril Islands," The Japan Times, 24th March 2022. [2] BBC News, "Kuril Islands: Russia and Japan's Unresolved Dispute," 28th February 2022. [3] The Diplomat, "The Kuril Islands Dispute: Why It Matters," 5th March 2021.
- The General News outlets have reported on the reemergence of war-and-conflicts-related discussions in the political sphere, with Russia's Foreign Ministry summoning Germany's Ambassador over remarks about the Southern Kuril Islands, a longstanding territorial conflict that dates back to World War II.
- The debate over the Southern Kuril Islands, also known as the Northern Territories by Japan, has massive implications in the realm of general-news and international politics, as the Russian Foreign Ministry's reminder to Germany about the undisputed sovereignty over the islands highlights the complexities of diplomatic relations and territorial disputes in a post-World War II world.
