Russia to keep Kuril Islands, debate with Japan to end as constitutional amendments take effect - Federation Council's Klintsevich
MOSCOW. July 2 (Interfax) - Russia will never hand the Kuril Islands over to Japan, and debate on the subject will end as soon as the constitutional amendments take effect, member of Russia's Federation Council Defense and Security Committee Franz Klintsevich said.
"This is over and done with. No matter who takes office in the next ten, 20, or 100 years, it won't be possible to reconsider this issue; people won't allow it. If we had met them halfway under the current circumstances, U.S. bases would have been deployed there in a snap and would have presented a serious threat," Klintsevich told Interfax on Thursday in response to a question about the future of the debate with Japan on the Kuril Islands in the context of the constitutional amendments.
"That's the decision of the people. I have been saying for the past 20 years that we will never give the Kuril Islands away. Economic and military security is crucial to us," he said.
The constitutional amendments ban the alienation of Russian lands and any calls for such alienation.
"There used to be some kind of uncertainty, which allowed debates [on the possible transfer of the Kuril Islands]. That discussion is over now," Klintsevich said.
"If we had met them halfway, our Pacific Fleet, both subs and surface ships, would have been blocked by now. Besides, the area boasts vast bio-resources, which is a question of food security and the provision of our population with seafood," he said.
In his opinion, Japan should not link the conclusion of a peace treaty with Russia to the Kuril Islands.
"We have always said so. This is kind of a fetish the Japanese use in every election, getting the islands back. The issue is closed now... You can either accept a peace treaty or the standing remains unchanged, which is disadvantageous both to us and to the Japanese as neighbors," Klintsevich said.
The Central Elections Commission (CEC) has processed 100% of the protocols received from territorial elections commissions following the national vote on the constitutional amendments.
According to the CEC, 77.92% of voters were in favor of the amendments, and 21.27% rejected them.
The proportion was 74.88% to 24.04% in the Sakhalin region to which the Kuril Islands administratively belong.