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Pyongyang’s unsolved nuclear problem hampers Russian-DPRK cooperation — ForMin

Russia demands that all participants in the Korean settlement process comply with the restrictions and bans under corresponding UN resolutions, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich says
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuev
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich
© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuev

MOSCOW, September 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Pyongyang’s unsolved nuclear problem is a serious factor that hampers cooperation between Russian and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Monday.

“The nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula and prospects for resuming the six-party talks are a pressing issue that requires frank discussions,” Lukashevich said.

Russia “strictly observes the corresponding UN Security Council resolutions and demands that all participants in the Korean settlement process, including the DPRK, comply with the restrictions and bans under these resolutions”, he said.

North Korean Foreign Minister Lee Su-yong will visit Russia on September 30 — October 10. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Lee Su-yong will discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and stepping up of trade and economic cooperation, Lukashevich said.

“The ministers will discuss bilateral cooperation, including stepping up a political dialogue and trade and economic relations. They will exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia as a whole,” Lukashevich said.

Among key issues on the agenda of the talks, he named "foreign political interaction between Russia and the DPRK". "It (interaction) is a very significant factor for maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia”.

Lavrov and Lee Su-yong will discuss “international issues of vital importance, including the situation in Ukraine and Middle East, as well as the situation around Iran’s nuclear problem and the efforts aimed at forming a new security architecture in the Asia Pacific," Lukashevich said.

They “will sum up the results of joint efforts for renovating the legal base of bilateral relations. The tasks have been determined for the soonest completion of the work on a series of joint documents in different fields - from cultural-humanitarian to technical and financial”, he said.

The parties “will analyse practical aspects of bilateral relations, including in the economic sphere. They will discuss joint measures to form the model of Russian-Korean trade and economic cooperation that would make it possible to take a leap forward and bring trade turnover to the level of $1 billion in the foreseeable future”, Lukashevich said.

Lavrov and Lee Su-young will sign a plan on inter-ministerial exchanges for 2015-2016 on the results of the talks.