The Kremlin announced on July 9 (local time) that there are no plans for North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un to visit Russia, nor for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea in the near future.
According to local media, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated during a briefing that "at present, there are no plans for such visits in the near future," adding, "We will inform you if any plans are made."
However, Peskov explained that President Putin will convey a message to Chairman Kim through Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will visit North Korea from July 11 to 13. He said, "Whenever our senior officials, especially the foreign minister, visit Pyongyang, they always deliver a message from President Putin to the North Korean leadership."
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported that Minister Lavrov will visit North Korea from July 11 to 13 at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also stated during a briefing that Minister Lavrov will visit Pyongyang during this period to hold talks as part of the second round of strategic dialogue between the two countries' foreign ministers.
The first round of strategic dialogue between Minister Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui took place in November last year, when Minister Choe visited Moscow. Spokesperson Zakharova explained that when President Putin visited Pyongyang in June last year and held a summit with Chairman Kim, they agreed to hold strategic dialogue between the two foreign ministers. It has not been disclosed whether Minister Lavrov will meet with Chairman Kim during this visit, but Minister Choe met with President Putin during her visit to Moscow in November last year.
There is speculation that during this visit, Minister Lavrov may coordinate the timing of Chairman Kim's visit to Russia. Chairman Kim has already accepted President Putin's invitation to visit Moscow, which was extended in June last year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
