MOSCOW, October 01. /TASS/. The North Korean delegation, led by Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on Wednesday.
The cultural program for the North Korean top diplomat, who arrived in Russia on Tuesday on a 10-day visit, also includes visits to the Mausoleum, the Museums of Kremlin and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War at Poklonnaya Gora.
Later today, the North Korean foreign minister is scheduled to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss bilateral cooperation, including stepping up political dialogue and trade.
Lavrov and Ri are also expected to discuss the resumption of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear program. The talks between Russia, the United States, China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan were suspended in 2009 at the initiative of Pyongyang.
North Korea later repeatedly said it was ready to resume the negotiations, but the United States, Japan and South Korea stressed that they see no grounds to restart the dialogue.
Moscow praises North Korean President Kim Jong-un’s statement on the continuity of policy in relations with Russia, Lavrov said.
The signing of a plan for inter-ministerial exchanges for the period of 2015-2016 will facilitate fruitful contacts between the foreign ministries of both countries, Lavrov said. “We’ve been maintaining friendly relations for decades. We have many joint plans in different fields,” he said. “We praise the implementation of the agreements reached in Ulan Ude in August 2011,” Lavrov said.
This is the first visit of the North Korean foreign minister to Russia over the past four years. Before this visit, former Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun visited the country in December 2010. Ri Su Yong was appointed to this post in April this year.
After visiting Moscow, the North Korean foreign minister will pay visits to the Amur and Sakhalin regions, and also the Khabarovsk and Primorye Territories to meet with the heads of regional administrations and legislatures.