Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, November 20 (Xinhua) – Building a dialogue between Russia and Japan is only possible if Tokyo abandons its current anti-Russian stance, not only in words but also in deeds, and ceases its attempts to damage bilateral relations. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing on Thursday.
Commenting on Tokyo's reaction to Moscow's sanctions against 30 Japanese citizens, including diplomats and academics, the official spokesperson noted that Russia, as in this case, "is only taking retaliatory measures." "Russian diplomats were under Japanese sanctions. Why weren't they surprised before? They simply took retaliatory measures," she remarked, responding to a question from an Izvestia correspondent.
"Building a dialogue with Tokyo is only possible if the current anti-Russian line is abandoned, not just in words but in deeds, attempts to damage Russian-Japanese cooperation are stopped, and concrete practical steps are taken to demonstrate Japan's serious commitment to thawing bilateral ties," Zakharova stated.
At the same time, the diplomat noted that Tokyo’s unfriendly course towards Russia remains today, despite “opinions voiced by a number of sensible politicians in this country about the harmfulness of such a destructive approach for Japan itself.”
It was previously reported that Russia had permanently banned entry to 30 Japanese citizens. This decision was a response to sanctions imposed by the Japanese authorities. Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Toshihiro Kitamura, journalists and columnists for the Nikkei newspaper, professors from Hitotsubashi University, and other Japanese citizens will now be barred from visiting Russia.
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