Kremlin Says Putin's Return Visit to North Korea Not Planned Yet
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The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in Russia on an official visit at the invitation of the Russian president with a high-level delegation. The top-level bilateral meeting took place at the Russia's Vostochny Spaceport in the Amur Region and lasted about six hours, including a four-hour negotiation. Kim last visited Russia in 2019.
The return visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea is not currently planned, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"No, it is not planned yet. There are no such plans yet. But I repeat again — this is our neighbor, and it is in our interests to develop the relations that correspond to our interests," Peskov told reporters, commenting on whether the Russian president is planning a return visit to North Korea.
However, the spokesman revealed that the Russian and the North Korean foreign ministers agreed to meet in the near future, and could hold contacts as early as October.
"Also in October, we expect contacts of the foreign ministers. At least, the leaders instructed the ministers to arrange such a meeting. And it will take place in the very near future, because the ministers agreed on this right on the sidelines of today's summit," Peskov noted.
As for the results of the talks between Putin and Kim Jong Un, Peskov stated that the leaders discussed a possibility of sending a North Korean cosmonaut into space during their meeting.
"We talked about the fact that if the North Korean side wishes, a North Korean cosmonaut can be trained to sent into space," he stressed.
In addition, according to Peskov, Russia and North Korea will try to agree on holding an intergovernmental commission, which will allow for a more systematic discussion of the topics raised during the talks.
"In the very near future we will try to reach the intergovernmental commission, which has not been for a long time for obvious reasons. Holding an intergovernmental commission will allow us to discuss everything more systematically, in more details," the spokesman told reporters.
Furthermore, Peskov noted that the North Korean leader showed interest in all areas of partnership during his meeting with Putin, in particular, in cooperation in health, education and other humanitarian fields.
"He was really interested in all areas of cooperation. Our president has already told his North Korean counterpart about the opportunities we have. Putin spoke about our transport capabilities, and [Transport] Minister [Vitaly Savelyev] shared more information. This includes our airport network, how many ports we have, and how our transport system and aviation generally work," he highlighted.
Russia, North Korea Will Develop Cooperation Immune to Western Pressure, Lavrov Says
Moscow and Pyongyang will develop cooperation immune to Western pressure, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined.
"We and North Korea will develop, as confirmed by our leaders today, a mutually beneficial cooperation not susceptible to illegal Western pressure," the foreign minister said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Peskov stated that Russia and North Korea cooperate for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries, and not against anyone, bilateral relations should not be a matter of concern to third states.
