The foreign ministers of Russia and South Korea met in Seoul on Thursday and discussed a variety of issues, including the status of bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean peninsula.
The first dialogue between the top diplomats of the two nations since 2009 came just hours after North Korea tested a new guided missile, sparking new tensions and concerns about peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. During their talks, South Korean foreign minister Chung Eui-yong called Russia a “strategic cooperative partner” in the region, and asked for “unwavering support and cooperation” of the Russian government and its people on the Korean Peninsula peace process.
In response, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow remained committed “to an early resumption of negotiations between the parties in the interests of a lasting settlement of the entire range of problems in the region,” and cautioned against “all kinds of military activity.” The minister said that they also exchanged views on “promoting multilateral initiatives for strengthening cooperation in Northeast Asia in various spheres,” and discussed ways to increase interaction at international organisations and fora like the United Nations (UN) and G20.
As the countries marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (belatedly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic), they agreed to strengthen bilateral ties, especially with the swift resumption of trade and economic cooperation, which has fallen amid the coronavirus crisis. The leaders said that they would increase coordination under President Moon Jae-in’s ‘Nine Bridges’ initiative, which would see them working closely in various fields, including rail transportation, energy supply, nuclear power, shipbuilding, healthcare, and medicine.
Lavrov further mentioned that the talks also included conversations about large-scale investment cooperation projects—including the establishment of a Russian-Korean investment fund worth ~$1 billion—which would feature on the agenda at the next meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Korean Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation in Seoul this year. “The relations between Russia and South Korea have been positively developed,” the minister said, with “a rise in trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.” “All this shows South Korea is crucial for Russia in the Asia-Pacific region.”
In addition, the leaders “spoke at length” about their countries’ responses to the current pandemic, and how they were ensuring the “sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing” of their people. Russia commended the agreement signed between their companies to produce the Sputnik V vaccine in Korea and said that the nations would continue to maintain contact across different levels to strengthen interaction (on this issue, as well as others) between their foreign ministries.
Russia, South Korea Discuss Bilateral Ties, Korean Peninsula Issues in Seoul Meeting
The first dialogue between the top diplomats of the two nations since 2009 came just hours after North Korea tested a new guided missile, sparking new concerns about stability on the Korean peninsula.
March 26, 2021
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong. SOURCE: KYODO via NIKKEI ASIA