Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was received on Saturday by leader Kim Jong one during his visit to North Korea, military ally of Moscow, according to Russian diplomacy.
Sergei Lavrov “was received” by Kim Jong Une, said the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, publishing a video of the two men greeting and shaking hands.
Mr. Lavrov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes “the continuation of direct contacts” with Kim Jong one “as soon as possible,” reported the Russian state agency TASS.
The Kremlin had been questioned this week on the possibility of an upcoming visit to the North Korean leader in Russia, but said that this was not planned for the moment.
Sergei Lavrov also met his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-Hui in Wonsan, on the Côte de la Mer du Japan, where a tourist area was inaugurated at the end of June by the North Korean authorities.
The two parties “underlined their determination to fight together against the hegemonist aspirations of actors outside the region, which lead to an escalation of tensions in northeast Asia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region”, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened their military cooperation in recent years, North Korea providing weapons and troops to support the assault of Russia against Ukraine.
The two countries signed a mutual defense agreement during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin in North Korea last year.
Earlier on Saturday, Sergei Lavrov assured that North Korean officials had “reaffirmed their unreserved support for all the objectives” of the assault in Ukraine, according to TASS agency.
He thanked the “heroic” North Korean soldiers who helped the Russian army repel the Ukrainian forces of the Koursk region, where they penetrated in August 2024, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Moscow said he hunted Ukrainian troops in the area in April and already thanked the soldiers of North Korea at the time, recognizing their participation in the conflict for the first time.
Asked about the possibility that the North Korean troops were deployed on other parts of the front, Sergei Lavrov replied that it was Pyongyang to decide, according to TASS agency.
“We start from the principle that the RPDC itself determines the forms under which we implement our strategic partnership agreement,” he said, using the official name of the country.
The visit of Sergei Lavrov comes a month and a half after that in Pyongyang of the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Choicou.
Posted on July 12 at 3:55 p.m. AFP