Pyongyang (AFP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un confirmed while receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday that he wants to build a “forward-looking” relationship with Moscow, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.
Published on: 10/20/2023 – 08:41 Last updated: 10/20/2023 – 08:39
2 minutes
Lavrov made a two-day visit to Pyongyang before a possible trip by President Vladimir Putin to this country, which supports Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Kim said the goal of the ruling Workers’ Party and the government is to “develop a stable, forward-looking and long-term plan for relations between the DPRK and Russia,” according to KCNA.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Minister condemned the “dangerous” military policy pursued by the United States and its allies against North Korea, welcoming at the same time the strengthening of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.
“Like our friends in North Korea, we are deeply concerned about the intensification of the military activities of the United States, Japan and South Korea in the region and Washington’s policies,” Lavrov said in a press conference, according to Russian news agencies.
He added that the Americans are building “strategic infrastructure, including nuclear elements,” stressing, “We oppose this unconstructive and dangerous line.”
Facing a record series of weapons tests by Pyongyang this year, Seoul has moved to strengthen its alliance with the United States and joined a trilateral defense pact that also includes Japan.
Seoul and Washington conducted joint military exercises and a US nuclear submarine docked in a South Korean port in July for the first time in decades.
An American B-52 bomber capable of carrying a nuclear warhead is stationed about 100 kilometers south of Seoul in preparation for the trilateral exercises scheduled for this weekend, according to South Korean media.
Lavrov pointed out that a meeting held in mid-September in the Russian Far East between Kim and Putin contributed to strengthening relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying to his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, saying, “After this historic summit… we can say with confidence that relations” between the two countries “have reached a new qualitative and strategic level.”
© 2023 AFP
#Kim #Jong #build #forwardlooking #relationship #Russia
2023-10-20 06:41:03
