- 25 Jan 2018 06:00
#14882604
Why are the Kurile Islands so valuable to Russia?
February 7, 1855 is the date of the signing of the Shimoda Treaty, according to which the Russian Empire received the Northern Kuriles, and Japan - the islands of Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and a group of Habomai Islands.
On this day, activists of right-wing social organizations hold marches every year in memory of the first Russian-Japanese agreement of 1855 on trade and borders. They ride around the cities on buses, demand the return of Kurile Islands and even desecrate the Russian flags. On this day, there are noisy demonstrations around the Russian embassy in Tokyo.
The Japanese side is trying to prove the illegality of the occupation of the Kurile ridge by Soviet Union, interpreting in their own geographical, legal and historical facts. According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, Japan abandoned Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, but Japan's territorial claims to Russia have been preserved to this day. Russia is adamant in this matter: Russian sovereignty over these islands has a corresponding international legal formulation and, therefore, is beyond doubt.
This unambiguous position of Moscow on the issue of the Kurile Islands affiliation is of great importance for ensuring Russia's security on the Far Eastern borders, not to mention the economic and political components of this issue.
Hypothetically, the transfer of the South Kurils will mean the loss of the territory with a total area of 8.5 thousand square kilometers, the continental shelf - 210 square kilometers and about 800 thousand tons of seafood in a year. From a military point of view, it is the destruction of the advanced defensive line in the eastern direction and the loss of control over the Sea of Okhotsk.
The loss of the Southern Kurils will significantly weaken the security of Russia and narrow the military-strategic capabilities of the Russian Navy in the case of armed conflicts. The ice-free straits of Catherine and Frisian that are most important for the deployment of anti-submarine and strike groups of the Pacific Fleet will be inaccessible to Russia, while the US Navy and Japan will have free access to the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Kuril Islands represent significant value for the Russian Federation, incomparable with the profit from their transfer or sharing. Therefore, Russia is not interested at all in transferring these islands to Japan even under profitable offers.
February 7, 1855 is the date of the signing of the Shimoda Treaty, according to which the Russian Empire received the Northern Kuriles, and Japan - the islands of Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and a group of Habomai Islands.
On this day, activists of right-wing social organizations hold marches every year in memory of the first Russian-Japanese agreement of 1855 on trade and borders. They ride around the cities on buses, demand the return of Kurile Islands and even desecrate the Russian flags. On this day, there are noisy demonstrations around the Russian embassy in Tokyo.
The Japanese side is trying to prove the illegality of the occupation of the Kurile ridge by Soviet Union, interpreting in their own geographical, legal and historical facts. According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, Japan abandoned Southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, but Japan's territorial claims to Russia have been preserved to this day. Russia is adamant in this matter: Russian sovereignty over these islands has a corresponding international legal formulation and, therefore, is beyond doubt.
This unambiguous position of Moscow on the issue of the Kurile Islands affiliation is of great importance for ensuring Russia's security on the Far Eastern borders, not to mention the economic and political components of this issue.
Hypothetically, the transfer of the South Kurils will mean the loss of the territory with a total area of 8.5 thousand square kilometers, the continental shelf - 210 square kilometers and about 800 thousand tons of seafood in a year. From a military point of view, it is the destruction of the advanced defensive line in the eastern direction and the loss of control over the Sea of Okhotsk.
The loss of the Southern Kurils will significantly weaken the security of Russia and narrow the military-strategic capabilities of the Russian Navy in the case of armed conflicts. The ice-free straits of Catherine and Frisian that are most important for the deployment of anti-submarine and strike groups of the Pacific Fleet will be inaccessible to Russia, while the US Navy and Japan will have free access to the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Kuril Islands represent significant value for the Russian Federation, incomparable with the profit from their transfer or sharing. Therefore, Russia is not interested at all in transferring these islands to Japan even under profitable offers.
- By grassroots1
- By Verv