Photo: AFP/Kremlin Press Office
Eurasia
17/09/2023 18:37
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a more than five-hour-long meeting at the Vostochny Spaceport on Wednesday, their first summit in four years. Vostochny is Russia's first civilian spaceport. It is located in the Amur Region near the town of Tsiolkovsky. After a tour of the spaceport, Putin and Kim embarked on their talks. They held talks that involved broader delegations from the two countries and also spoke one-on-one. At the meeting that included the delegations, the Russian president said he was very pleased to receive the DPRK leader, and also recalled several dates that are memorable for both countries, such as the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (1950-1953). He also invited his vis-a-vis to discuss economic interaction, humanitarian issues and the situation in the region.
The agenda of the talks included issues of economic and humanitarian cooperation, the situation in the region as well as many other topics.
Kim Jong Un has said that he is ready to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a "100-year plan" of building stable relations between the two countries, KCNA reported. "The historical meeting and talks" between Kim and Putin are a "landmark event" which strengthens strategic relations between Russia and North Korea and "inspires fair anti-imperialism struggle," the news agency added.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that contacts between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un have ceased to be a sensation and have become a tradition. "There is no sensation in this, because we have repeatedly said - North Korea is our closest neighbour. And of course we are interested in establishing and developing relations with our closest neighbours in all areas," the spokesman pointed out.
Referring to speculations, Peskov stated that Russia and North Korea did not sign any bilateral agreements, including on military-technical cooperation. "No agreements were signed on this issue or on other issues and there were no such plans," Peskov told journalists.
