(Pyongyang) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Thursday he wants to build a “forward-looking” relationship with Russia during his meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pyongyang reported. official KCNA agency.
Mr. Lavrov made a two-day visit to the North Korean capital, 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 government is “to develop a stable, forward-looking and far-reaching plan for DPRK relations.” ) and Russia,” according to KCNA.
The head of Russian diplomacy denounced Thursday the “dangerous” military policy of the United States and its allies against North Korea, while welcoming a strengthening of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.
“Like our North Korean friends, we are terribly concerned by the intensification of military activities of the United States, Japan and South Korea in the region, and by the policies of Washington,” declared the Russian minister during from a press conference, cited by Russian agencies.
According to him, the Americans are setting up “strategic infrastructures, including nuclear elements”.
“We oppose this unconstructive and dangerous line,” added Mr. Lavrov.
Faced with 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 agreement that also includes Japan.
Seoul and Washington have held joint military exercises and a US nuclear submarine called at a South Korean port in July for the first time in decades.
An American B-52 bomber capable of carrying a nuclear warhead is currently stationed about 100 kilometers south of Seoul in preparation for trilateral exercises planned for this weekend, according to South Korean media.
Deliveries in progress?
A meeting in mid-September in the Russian Far East between MM. Kim and Putin helped strengthen relations between Moscow and Pyongyang, Lavrov noted.
“After this historic summit […] we can say with confidence that relations” between the two countries “have reached a qualitatively new and strategic level”, welcomed the Russian minister to his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, quoted by Russian agencies.
Moscow also wants to help North Korea meet its energy needs, he told Russian media.
The official spoke of “geological exploration” efforts and projects “for the supply of energy resources and other goods” that North Korea needs.
These two energy issues will be discussed at a joint meeting scheduled for November, he added.
Mr. Lavrov, who laid wreaths at the monuments dedicated to former North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Thursday morning, had arrived in Pyongyang the day before after having been alongside the Russian president for a trip to Beijing .
PHOTO AGENCY KCNA BY REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
At a welcome dinner, he praised Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine.
The September summit and apparent warming of relations between Russia and North Korea have stoked Western fears that Pyongyang could supply Moscow with weapons for its military operations in Ukraine.
Last week, the United States said deliveries were already underway, with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions delivered to Russia from North Korea in recent weeks.
In exchange, Pyongyang seeks to obtain Russian military equipment and “sophisticated technologies,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Moscow this week denounced the remarks, insisting that Washington had no proof.