日本與俄羅斯外長拉夫羅夫會晤，要求釋放遭拘留的日本籍人士

亞特蘭大，10月30日（路透社）—— 日本外務大臣茂木敏充週五在亞特蘭大二十國集團（G20）會議場邊，會見俄羅斯外交部長謝爾蓋・拉夫羅夫，並要求釋放一名遭拘留在俄羅斯薩哈林地區的日本籍人士。ATLANTA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Atlanta on Friday and demanded the release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin region.

在雙方因烏克蘭問題及長期領土爭端而關係緊張之際，這場兩國罕見的高層會晤登場。The rare high-level meeting between the two countries came amid strained ties over Ukraine and a long-running territorial dispute.

日本駐美大使館一份聲明表示：「茂木大臣就日俄之間各項當前議題提出交涉與主張。」"Minister Motegi made a demarche and an argument regarding various current issues between Japan and Russia," a statement from Japan's embassy in Washington said.

聲明並說：「關於一名日本籍人士在薩哈林州遭拘留一事，茂木大臣強烈要求立即釋放。」"Regarding the detention of a Japanese national in Sakhalin Oblast, Minister Motegi strongly demanded the immediate release," it added.

俄羅斯本月表示，已在遠東薩哈林地區拘留一名日本記者，理由是涉嫌從事間諜活動。這使近幾個月來惡化的雙邊關係降至新低。Russia said this month it had detained a Japanese journalist in its far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage, marking a new low in bilateral relations that have worsened in recent months.

此案加劇了俄羅斯與日本之間長期存在的緊張關係。兩國因千島群島領土爭端，至今仍未簽署正式的第二次世界大戰和平條約；千島群島在日本稱為北方領土。The case adds to long-running tensions between Russia and Japan, which have yet to sign a formal World War Two peace treaty due to a territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories.

日本因烏克蘭戰爭加入西方對莫斯科的制裁後，這些緊張關係升高；俄羅斯則將日本視為「不友好」國家。不過，兩國仍有商業往來，日本是俄羅斯液化天然氣的買家。Those tensions heightened when Japan joined Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine, with Russia regarding Japan as an "unfriendly" country. The two countries, however, still do business, with Japan a purchaser of Russian liquefied natural gas.

日本聲明也表示，茂木「強烈呼籲俄羅斯採取積極行動，朝在烏克蘭實現公正且持久的和平邁進」。The Japanese statement also said Motegi "strongly called on Russia to take positive actions toward achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

聲明說，兩名部長「即使在日俄關係嚴峻的局勢下，仍將維持溝通」。It said the ministers "would maintain communication, even amid the severe situation in Japan-Russia relations."

俄羅斯國際傳真社引述俄羅斯外交部說法報導，「俄羅斯外交部長拉夫羅夫與日本外務大臣茂木之間的簡短談話」是應日本要求舉行。Russia's Interfax news agency cited Russia's Foreign Ministry as saying that "a brief talk between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi" was held at Japan's request.

該社引述俄羅斯外交部說法表示：「俄方強調，若要恢復完整的國家間對話，東京必須放棄不友好政策。」"The Russian side emphasized that the resumption of full-fledged interstate dialogue requires Tokyo to give up unfriendly policies," it quoted the ministry as saying.

稍早，在亞特蘭大會議前，G20外長跳過了傳統團體合照，原因是歐洲代表因烏克蘭戰爭反對俄羅斯出席。Earlier, foreign ministers from the G20 skipped a traditional group photo ahead of their meeting in Atlanta after European representatives objected to the presence of Russia over the war in Ukraine.

（David Brunnstrom報導；Sanjeev Miglani編輯）(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)