North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during their meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 19, 2023, in this photo carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to build a “forward-looking” and “far-reaching” relationship with Russia during his meeting with its foreign minister, state media said Friday, as the two countries move to strengthen military ties amid speculation over their suspected arms deal.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a two-day visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday in a follow-up to the Sept. 13 summit between the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Far East.
In the meeting with Lavrov, Kim expressed Pyongyang’s “steadfast stand” to establish a “stable, forward-looking, far-reaching plan” for their bilateral ties by faithfully carrying out the agreements at the summit, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
They discussed “important matters of mutual concern” to better cope with external circumstances on the “basis of solid political and strategic trust relations” and expand their bilateral ties in “all fields,” the KCNA said.
But it did not specify whether Kim and Lavrov discussed the schedule for Putin’s possible reciprocal visit to Pyongyang. The Kremlin earlier said Putin had accepted Kim’s offer to visit North Korea during their summit last month.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from R) holds talks with Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2nd from L), in Pyongyang on Oct. 19, 2023, in this photo carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The visit came amid persistent speculation over the suspected arms deal between North Korea and Russia, reinforced by reports on Pyongyang’s delivery of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for its use in the war with Ukraine.
In a separate statement, the KCNA said the foreign ministers of North Korea and Russia discussed ways to put their ties on a “higher stage as required by the new era” and signed a plan for bilateral exchanges in 2024-25.
Citing Russia’s foreign ministry, Russian media reported the previous day that talks between Kim and Lavrov lasted for over an hour, and Lavrov invited his Russian counterpart, Choe Son-hui, to visit Moscow at a “convenient time.”
(Yonhap)
