Russian FM backs bid to save summit
PYONGYANG/VLADIVOSTOK: The foreign minister of Russia yesterday threw his support behind North Korea’s efforts toward holding a summit with US President Donald Trump and suggested the need of achieving Pyongyang’s denuclearisation in stages, according to media reports.
Sergey Lavrov’s comments came after he held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in Pyongyang, according to reports in the Russian media.
Tass news agency quoted Mr Lavrov as telling reporters that Moscow “welcomes” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s possible summit with Mr Trump and Mr Kim’s recent meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae In.
Touching on how to approach the North Korean nuclear issue, Mr Lavrov said it will not be fully solved until sanctions against Pyongyang are lifted, according to Tass.
“But how t o move forward to this, that’s about the art of negotiators,” the news agency quoted him as saying. “It is impossible in one move to ensure denuclearisation, that’s why certainly there should be some stages.”
He also said Russia is prepared to support potential agreements on North Korea “if they meet the interests of all parties concerned.”
The meeting took place soon after Mr Lavrov arrived in North Korea by plane, marking his first visit since April 2009. At Pyongyang’s international airport, he was received by one of the North Korean vice foreign ministers, Sin Hong Chol.
Mr Lavrov’s visit comes as Pyongyang and Washington seek to salvage the unprecedented summit between the leaders of the two countries.
Mr Kim and Mr Trump are hoping to hold talks in mid-June in Singapore, following the North Korean leader’s flurry of meetings with Chinese and South Korean leaders since March.
Senior officials of North Korea and the United States are currently engaged in discussions in multiple locations to iron out differences prior to the summit, initially slated for June 12 but called off by Mr Trump last week.
Moscow, a traditional backer of Pyongyang, has not had a strong presence amid Mr Kim’s diplomatic outreach to other key players in the region.
Mr Lavrov may stay in Pyongyang for two days, according to the North Korean Embassy in Moscow.