President Dmitry Medvedev vowed on Wednesday to deploy "sufficient" weaponry to protect the South Kuril island chain at the center of a dispute with Tokyo ahead of a visit by Japan's foreign minister.
Russia must deploy "necessary, sufficient and modern weaponry to provide the security of the islands as an inseparable part of Russia," Medvedev told Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov at a meeting.
He also called on Russia's Pacific region neighbors to invest in the southern Kuril Islands, apparently alluding to China and South Korea, which could add to Japan's anger.
(Reuters)
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