北方領土訪問―交渉の成果無にするのか

2010/11/03
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 2
EDITORIAL: Medvedev in Kunashiri
北方領土訪問―交渉の成果無にするのか

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday visited Kunashiri Island, ignoring the Japanese government's warning that such a trip would seriously hurt the bilateral relationship. We believe that it has.
Kunashiri is one of the four Russian-held islands in the disputed Northern Territories off Hokkaido.
　日ロの関係を大きく傷つけた動きと言わざるをえない。
　「両国関係に重大な支障が生じる」という日本政府の警告を振り切って、ロシアのメドベージェフ大統領が北方領土の一つ、国後島を訪問した。

This was the first visit by a Russian leader to the Northern Territories. Even in the Soviet era, when the Kremlin insisted there was "no territorial issue (with Japan)," no leader of that country set foot in the Northern Territories.
　ロシアの最高指導者が北方領土を訪れたのは、これが初めてだ。「領土問題は存在しない」と強弁していた時代の旧ソ連の最高指導者ですら、ここに足を踏み入れたことはない。

A complex mesh of history and popular sentiments renders any territorial dispute extremely difficult to resolve.
　領土問題は、互いの歴史や国民感情と複雑に結びついており、解決が極めて難しい。

Medvedev himself had stressed the importance of calm and reasoned discussion. Tokyo and Moscow have repeatedly agreed to seek a negotiated settlement.
だからメドベージェフ氏自身が、静かな環境で話し合う必要を強調してきた。北方四島の帰属問題を交渉で解決することを、ロシア政府も日本政府と何度も合意している。

Yet, Moscow unilaterally set Medvedev's trip schedule. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated to the effect that it is up to the president to decide where to go in his own territory.
　なのに、ロシア側は「自分の領土のどこに行くかは、大統領自身が決める」（ラブロフ外相）と、訪問を強行した。

We must say Moscow's highhandedness could undo any progress made so far in bilateral talks.
これまでの交渉の成果をほごにしかねない乱暴なやり方だ。

Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed regret in the Diet, saying, "The four islands are our territory." Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Bely and pointed out that Medvedev's visit conflicted with Japan's basic position on the territorial issue and hurt the feelings of the Japanese people.
　日本側は、菅直人首相が「四島はわが国の領土である」と国会で遺憾を表明した。前原誠司外相もロシアのベールイ駐日大使を呼び、「日本の原則的立場と相いれず、わが国民感情を傷つける」と抗議した。

Tokyo must pursue every diplomatic avenue to make its stance clear to Moscow.
今後も外交手段を尽くして、日本の立場をロシア側にはっきりと伝えていくべきだ。

Medvedev's trip can be interpreted in a number of ways.
　今回の動きは様々な見方ができる。

With the next presidential election coming up in 2012, perhaps Medvedev wanted to project an image of a strong leader.
　再来年の大統領選に向け、メドベージェフ氏が強い指導者ぶりを示したかったのかもしれない。

Another possibility is that Moscow, which is now reinforcing its cooperation with China and is also well aware of Tokyo's shaky diplomacy with Beijing over the Senkaku Islands dispute, decided to see how Tokyo would react.
中国と共同歩調を強めるロシアが、尖閣諸島の領有問題に揺れる日本外交の足元をみて、揺さぶりをかけた可能性もある。

Japan didn't help matters by repeatedly accusing Russia of illegally occupying the four islands. The harsh accusations partly invited Moscow's hard-line reaction.
　日本側も、「不法占拠」などの声高な主張を繰り返したことが、ロシア側の強硬な反応を招いた面がある。

Russia will not benefit from damaging its relationship with Japan now, however.
　だが、いま日本との関係を損なうことはロシアにもマイナスだろう。

Together with the United States, Russia will formally participate in the East Asia Summit from next year. The summit is a forum held annually by nations in the region, including Japan, China and Southeast Asian countries.
　ロシアは米国とともに、日中や東南アジア諸国などがつくる東アジアサミットへの正式参加が決まった。

With an eye on promoting development in the Russian Far East and Siberia, Moscow has been increasingly involved in Asia-Pacific affairs.
The country is expected to play a more constructive role in furthering regional economic integration and security.
ロシアは極東やシベリアの開発をにらんでアジア・太平洋地区への関与を強めており、経済統合や安全保障の問題でより建設的な役割を果たすことを求められる。

At a time such as this, Japan and Russia have much to gain by expanding their collaborative relationship.
そうしたおりに、日ロが関係を進めて連携の可能性を広げる利益は、両国にとって極めて大きい。

Medvedev's visit was another reminder of the difficulty of diplomacy with Russia.
　今回改めて示されたのは、対ロシア外交の難しさだ。

Whenever an advance was made in Japan-Russia relations in the past, Japan had a clear vision for the improvement of mutual interests. One example was the "Eurasian diplomacy" concept advocated by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.
過去、日ロ関係が進展に向かう時には、橋本龍太郎元首相の「ユーラシア外交」など、両国の利益を見据えた大きな構想が日本側にあった。

Given Russia's strong sense of entitlement as a superpower, Japan will not succeed in advancing bilateral relations by simply repeating its "legitimate ownership" of the disputed islands.
大国意識の強いロシアを相手に「固有の領土」などの正論を繰り返すだけでは、関係は進めにくい。

Medvedev is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama this month.
　今月、横浜であるアジア太平洋経済協力会議（ＡＰＥＣ）の首脳会議には、メドベージェフ氏も出席の予定だ。

We hope it will serve as an occasion for resetting Japan's policy toward Russia and asking the country to act with restraint.
日本の対ロ外交を立て直し、ロシアに自制を求める契機としたい。