Kim’s visit to Russia is contribution to efforts on North Korean settlement - ambassador

BEIJING, April 19. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia scheduled for late April is part of joint efforts to resolve the North Korean issue, Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov told reporters at a news conference on Friday. "We know that the main negotiations on normalizing the situation involving the Korean Peninsula are conducted by North Korea and the United States. However, our countries, both China and Russia, are vigorously promoting them. In particular, Kim Jong-un came to China several times, and now he is going to pay a visit to Russia. As far as this visit is concerned, I can say just one thing at this stage. This is a contribution to our joint efforts to resolve the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula. This is not an isolated political event. This is part of our consolidated efforts to this end," the diplomat said. The ambassador also noted that regional cooperation with North Korea was one of the most important issues for Russia and China. "This interaction is currently being blocked by the system of sanctions imposed on North Korea by the UN Security Council’s decisions. We do hope, however, that, as progress in resolving the Korean issue is made, the pressure of sanctions against North Korea will gradually ease, and opportunities for reviving economic cooperation will emerge," Denisov stressed. He also noted that the US was hampering progress in the North Korean settlement. "We believe that there should be a two-way communication, and North Korea should likewise benefit from the progress during the negotiations, from the progress on the way towards denuclearization. That’s what we, both China and Russia, suggest in the UN. In general, this approach gains approval of our international partners," the Russian ambassador pointed out. The Kremlin press service earlier reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would meet in Russia before the end of this month. According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the summit is likely to be held in Vladivostok. Read more