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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

Lavrov expects visit to Pyongyang to help understand North Korea’s position

The Russian top diplomat will make a visit to Pyongyang on Thursday, May 31

© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expects that his upcoming visit to Pyongyang will help him understand North Korea’s attitude to the Korean Peninsula issue, as he himself said at the Primakov Readings conference on Wednesday.

"This visit, just like any other, is aimed at discussing bilateral relations with our partners, as well as the situation in the region," Lavrov noted. "I received an invitation and was glad to accept it. It will be useful for me to understand our North Korean neighbors’ attitude to all the issues [concerning the Korean Peninsula]," he added.

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Russia's top diplomat to visit North Korea on May 31

Lavrov pointed out that Russia was involved in the six-party talks on the North Korea issue - a mechanism that was still there. "In accordance with the logic that this mechanism is based on, we support the current changes in relations between the two Korean states, as well as between Pyongyang and Washington," the Russian top diplomat pointed out. "We very much expect that the planned talks, which have been once again confirmed lately, will not result in ultimatums," he said.

According to the Russian top diplomat, the Korean Peninsula cannot be denuclearized in one move. "It will require step-by-step actions, consistency and patience," Lavrov noted. "At the final stage of the process, multilateral talks involving all the six countries will become inevitable, which is what the Russian-Chinese road map implies," he said.

"The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be supported by mechanisms ensuring peace and stability in Southeast Asia," the Russian foreign minister concluded.

Lavrov’s visit to Pyongyang

Lavrov will make a visit to Pyongyang on Thursday, May 31. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two countries’ top diplomats are planned to discuss pressing bilateral issues, as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other key regional and global issues.

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