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Russia-North Korea summit can be held before Eastern Economic Forum — sources

On June 1, North Korea’s Central News Agency reported that Pyongyang and Moscow had agreed to hold a top-level meeting this year

MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. A meeting between Russian and North Korean leaders Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un can take place before the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) scheduled for September, but it is too early yet to talk about specific dates and venue, various diplomatic sources told TASS on Monday.

One of the sources familiar with the situation with preparations for the summit noted that there is no need to link the two leaders’ meeting to the EEF, especially now that the processes related to the settlement on the Korean Peninsula are developing so rapidly.

"It cannot be ruled out that the meeting can be held earlier, the more so since such a public platform cannot be the most suitable one for the North Korean leader," he said.

"There are various options, including this one [in Vladivostok]," another source said. "However, speculating about whether or not one of them will be chosen now is tantamount to fortune-telling."

On June 1, North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Pyongyang and Moscow had agreed to hold a top-level meeting this year. According to the news agency, the agreement was reached at a meeting between Kim Jong-un and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held in Pyongyang on May 31. The news agency reported that the two countries agreed to intensify high-level contacts, exchanges and cooperation in various spheres, specifically, to hold a meeting between the North Korean and Russian leaders this year, which marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.