日露首脳会談 信頼醸成を「領土」につなげよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun February 11, 2014
Abe-Putin confidence-building must lead to resolving territorial dispute
日露首脳会談　信頼醸成を「領土」につなげよ（2月11日付・読売社説）

The confidence-building relationship between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin has deepened, but now it is being put to the test.
　首脳間の信頼関係の深まりを、どう成果につなげるかが問われよう。

Abe met with Putin Saturday after attending the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics for the fifth bilateral summit with the Russian leader since the prime minister returned to the post in December 2012.
　ソチ五輪の開会式に出席した安倍首相が、ロシアのプーチン大統領と会談した。第２次安倍内閣の発足後、首脳会談は５回目だ。

Even though leaders of the United States and major European countries did not attend the opening ceremony citing Russia’s human rights record, Abe decided to visit Sochi on a tight three-day schedule.
　ロシアの人権状況を問題視する欧米の主要国の首脳が開会式を欠席する中、安倍首相はあえて１泊３日の強行日程で訪露した。

Putin gave Abe a warm reception, saying, “I’m very grateful for your attendance at the opening ceremony,” and he hosted a luncheon for the prime minister. The meeting is believed to have been effective in building confidence between the two leaders, as seen by the fact that they called each other by their first names.
　プーチン大統領は、首相に「五輪への配慮に心からお礼したい」と述べ、昼食会を催して厚遇した。互いにファーストネームで呼び合うなど、首脳間の信頼醸成に効果があったと言える。

Putin’s visit to Japan this autumn was decided during the meeting. Hailing the recent expansion of bilateral trade, the Russian leader said he would dispatch his Cabinet ministers in charge of agriculture, railways and energy to Japan, plus top company executives.
　会談では、大統領の今秋の来日が決まった。大統領は、最近の日露間の貿易拡大を歓迎し、農業や鉄道、エネルギーを担当する閣僚と関連企業のトップを日本に派遣する意向を示した。

Development of the Russian Far East and East Siberia is regarded by Putin as “a national project to be undertaken by the country on a priority basis in the 21st century.” Offering cooperation in the development of natural gas and other resources is expected to prove beneficial also for Japan, because of this country’s scarcity of fossil fuels.
　大統領は、極東・東シベリア開発を「２１世紀のロシアの国家的な優先課題」としている。天然ガス開発などの協力は、資源の乏しい日本にとってもプラスだろう。

The thing is that negotiations on the return of four Russian-occupied islands off Hokkaido, a major concern for Japan, have made little headway.
　問題は、肝心の北方領土交渉が実質的に進まないことだ。

Resolution remains remote

Abe reportedly said he “wants to carry out talks in concrete terms.” In response, Putin was quoted as saying, “Efforts will be made toward a solution.” However, a political decision on the matter is a long way off.
　首相が「交渉を具体的に進めたい」と切り出したのに対し、大統領は「解決に向けてしっかりと努力したい」と応じ、双方の意欲は確認された。だが、政治決断への環境は整っていない。

In vice foreign ministerial talks in Tokyo late last month, the two countries failed to iron out their differences. Russia has repeated its conventional stance that the four northern islands became part of its territory as a result of World War II.
　先月末、東京で行われた日露の外務次官級協議では、双方の主張が平行線のままだった。ロシアは第２次大戦の結果、北方４島は自国の領土になったとする従来通りの主張を繰り返している。

Japan should insist that Russia’s claim is not based on historical facts.
　日本は、それが歴史的事実に基づかないと強く訴えるべきだ。

The former Soviet Union reneged on the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact and declared war on Japan in the closing days of World War II. It invaded the Kuril Islands after Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and it occupied the four islands, which it then unilaterally integrated into its territory. The four islands are not included in the Kuril Islands that Japan relinquished when it signed the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
　旧ソ連は大戦末期に日ソ中立条約を無視して宣戦布告し、日本のポツダム宣言受諾後、千島列島に侵攻して４島を占領、一方的に自国に編入した。サンフランシスコ講和条約で日本が放棄した千島列島に、北方４島は含まれない。

Russia’s internal politics are also a matter of concern. To ward off public discontent, Putin has come up with populist policies. The situation does not seem ripe yet for Russia to make a concession on the northern territories.
　ロシアの内政も懸念材料だ。大統領は、国民の不満をかわすため、大衆迎合的な政策を打ち出している。領土問題で譲歩できる政治状況ではないのではないか。

Prior to his summit with Abe, Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and confirmed that the two countries would jointly sponsor events in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of their victory in World War II. Japan must realize that Beijing and Moscow are acting in concert in dealing with an issue involving Japan’s history.
　日露首脳会談に先立ち、大統領は、中国の習近平国家主席と会談し、第２次大戦終結７０年の２０１５年に戦勝祝賀記念行事を共催することを確認した。中露が日本を巡る歴史問題で歩調を合わせている点は警戒すべきだ。

To make progress in resolving the territorial issue, it is imperative to closely examine the true intentions of Putin administration’s domestic and foreign policies, while reinforcing Japan-Russia relations from a wide perspective.
　領土問題を進展させるには、日露関係を幅広く強化する一方、プーチン政権の内政・外交の内実も見極めていかねばなるまい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 11, 2014)
（2014年2月11日01時35分 読売新聞）