While World War II fighting has been over for about 67 years now, there are many diplomatic holes that exist and disrupt a formal end to the war. One of those holes lies in the relations between Japan and Russia.

In a historical move, the two countries have agreed to negotiate on a territorial conflict that kept them from signing a formal peace treaty to end World War II. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin began their talks in Russia earlier last week for the first time in 10 years, but the talks continue to bring about an end to the tense relations between the countries.

“The leaders of both countries agreed that the situation where, 67 years after the conclusion of (World War II), we have still been unable to conclude a bilateral peace treaty, looks abnormal,” said an internationally released joint statement issued after the meeting.

After the 1945 surrender of Japan, the Soviet Army took over four small islands in a chain called the Kuril Islands, which are located off of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. After the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, Japan had to give up the Kuril Islands, but they claim that a few of the islands are not part of the chain. Russia disagreed, and thus a peace treaty was not agreed upon.

The islands do not have a whole lot of economic or strategic value; DePaul political science professor Dr. Richard Farkas says that the two islands hold a big stake in terms of the countries’ world images. “I think it’s largely

symbolic; both of them have experienced military shrinkage. So from the leadership of both countries, the sense is when you don’t have a lot of military muscle, weakness in territorial loss comes a lot more important,” he said. “This isn’t about the islands, it’s about world image.”

Yet, there is still a sense of uncertainty about if these talks will evolve. The two sides have offered to negotiate many times in their 67-year political disparity, and many things have changed over that time.

For one, the two countries are actually tied together economically; Japan has car factories in Russia, Russian energy companies have worked with Japanese companies to create energy plants. The two also are dealing with the leftovers of Soviet rule in the influence of China, who is in territorial disputes with both Russia and Japan.

However, in a “Japan Times” piece, Assistant Director of International Relations at Temple University’s Japan campus, Tina Burrett, points out that Putin cannot be weak in the negotiations because of his public view.

“At home, Putin’s hold on power is weaker than during his first presidency. Anti-Putin protests since parliamentary elections in December 2011 have added to domestic political instability. In this climate, Putin is unlikely to risk further alienating public opinion by conceding territory to Japan,” Burrett wrote in her article.

While the talks have an unknown time to resolution, many people will be watching and waiting to see if World War II can finally see a formal end.