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Moscow ready to promote trilateral projects involving North and South Korea — Lavrov

According to the foreign minister, Russia will go ahead with humanitarian assistance to North Korea
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov  Alexander Shcherbak/TASS
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. The Russian side confirms its readiness to promote trilateral projects with the participation of Pyongyang and Seoul, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho on Tuesday.

"The inter-governmental commission for trade and economic, scientific and technical cooperation is working actively. In March, it held its eighth session and the accords reached there should contribute to raising the efficiency of our practical interaction and implementing joint projects," Russia’s top diplomat stressed.

"We also confirm our readiness to promote projects in a trilateral format with the participation of South Korean partners as far as they are ready for such cooperation," the Russian foreign minister said.

"Russia is invariably set to develop good neighborly relations with North Korea. October will mark 70 years since our countries established diplomatic relations and now our colleagues are agreeing on a program of measures to celebrate this jubilee," Lavrov noted.

"We are successfully developing inter-parliamentary contacts and we welcome this. A good political dialogue has been established and we are regularly communicating with you," the Russian foreign minister said.

As Russia’s top diplomat said, the Russian side will continue "rendering humanitarian assistance to North Korea."

"We express sincere gratitude to the leadership and the people of North Korea for the attention they pay to caring about the burial sites and memorials of Soviet soldiers who lost their lives in the struggle for the independence of Korea," Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister said he expected during today’s meeting to talk in detail about the bilateral agenda and discuss "regional and international affairs, including the situation on the Korean peninsula and the issues of maintaining peace and security in North-East Asia."