Korean Central News Agency “Official visit on the 18th and 19th”
North Korea officially announced that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit North Korea.
On the 16th, the Korean Central News Agency announced, “At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Comrade Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation (Russia), will make an official visit to our country on October 18-19.” According to foreign media, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced the visit to North Korea.
Minister Lavrov is expected to meet with his counterpart, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s return visit.
North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Putin held a summit meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on the 13th of last month.
The news agency reported that Chairman Kim invited President Putin to North Korea, and President Putin readily accepted.
Minister Lavrov held a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the 23rd of last month (local time) and announced that he would visit Pyongyang in October to discuss follow-up measures to the North Korea-Russia summit.
This visit to North Korea is meaningful in that despite warnings from the international community, North Korea and Russia are pushing for President Putin’s visit to North Korea and sending a message that they will strengthen military cooperation.
Previously, the U.S. government disclosed the circumstances of the arms trade between North Korea and Russia.
John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council (NSC), announced at a briefing on the 13th that North Korea had delivered weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, and also released photos of the weapons shipment.
According to Coordinator Kirby, in recent weeks, North Korea has provided more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia. The arms transfer took place before Kim Jong-un’s North Korea-Russia summit.
Minister Lavrov plans to conclude his ongoing visit to China and visit North Korea. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on social media X (formerly Twitter) that Minister Lavrov had arrived in Beijing. Minister Lavrov will attend the Belt and Road Summit Forum to be held in Beijing on the 17th and 18th and meet with Central Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.