Putin meets with North Korean foreign minister (VIDEO)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui at the Kremlin, following talks between the two countries’ top diplomats on boosting bilateral ties and cooperation earlier on Tuesday.
During their meeting, the senior North Korean and Russian diplomats informed Putin on the results of their discussions, which built upon “agreements that were reached by the heads of state in the Far East recently,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Tuesday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia for nearly a week last September, traveling to the country’s Far East region by train. He met with Putin, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, and other officials. During his visit, Kim toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome, military and civilian aviation plants, and was shown Russia’s nuclear-capable aircraft and hypersonic missiles.
This week’s talks touched on cooperation between Russia and North Korea in the fields of culture, trade, science, and others, according to Lavrov. He also said Moscow will continue to stand in support of lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
Lavrov stated that “the politics of the US and their regional satellites to create threats to North Korea’s security doesn’t contribute to progressing in a positive direction. We will continue to call for the cessation of any steps that lead to the escalation of tensions.”
Choe’s visit to Russia comes amid resurging political strain on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks, following joint military exercises conducted by South Korea and the US. North Korea slammed the drills as a threat to national security.
