MOSCOW (AP) — President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia will maintain a "reasonable and sufficient" military presence on Pacific islands.
The islands — which Russia calls the Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories — have been a consistent irritant between Moscow and Tokyo, but tensions rose sharply when Medvedev toured them a year ago during the first visit by a Russian president.
Medvedev said Friday that the "Kurils is our land." He added that the Russian troops presence there is needed to protect the border and shouldn’t be seen as "militarism."
The islands off the northeastern tip of Japan’s Hokkaido Island were seized by Soviet troops in the closing days of World War II.
They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to have offshore oil and natural gas reserves, plus gold and silver deposits.
