Brahmand NewsPrevious Article
Brahmand NewsNext Article

Russia to maintain troops on Pacific islands


A file photo of Russian warships.

MOSCOW (AP): President Dmitry Medvedev has said 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 on Friday said 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.

Tags:

Russia  Military  

Other Related News

India, China defence ministers hold 'productive' talks in Laos; agree to work towards rebuilding mutual trust

India and China on Wednesday agreed to work towards a "roadmap" for rebuilding mutual trust with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calling for drawing lessons from the "unfortunate border clashes" of 2020 during talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun.

BRAHMOS Missile Systems

Headlines

Brahmand World Defence Update 2024

Brahmand World Defence Update

Image Gallery