Russian space agency chief proposes Russian names for disputed Kuril Islands ahead of Quad Summit

Dmitry Rogozin, the director-general of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, has suggested Russian names for the Kuril Islands.

The islands are a subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan, with Moscow calling them a part of its Kuril chain and which Japan calls Northern Territories.

The conflict over the Kuril Islands has prevented Russia and Japan from reaching a peace treaty formally ending World War Two hostilities.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

During an interview with the state-owned radio broadcaster Sputnik, Rogozin said "Always, when states added territories they would give them their own names (... ) Why don't these islands have Russian names?"

"This would be much more logical than the names with which we now have been calling these islands and which destroy the Russian language," he added.

The proposal of renaming the islands comes ahead of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in Tokyo which is being hosted by Japan.

In the Quad Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

While the Quad aims to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Russia is focusing on developing its relations with Beijing.

Following the example of the Western countries, Kishida had levied economic sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine and tried to justify the attack by calling it a "special military operation."

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch WION's live TV here: