DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun said Friday the current visit by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov marked a new opening for developing bilateral ties.
"The Russian Foreign Minister's visit to the DPRK will mark a significant occasion in further consolidating and developing the bilateral cooperative relations," Paek told a banquet in honor of Ivanov.
Ivanov is on a two-day visit to Pyongyang after concluding a three-day visit to Seoul, where he met with South Korean President
Kim Dae Jung on the situation in Korean Peninsula which has been shadowed by a recent naval clash.
Navies of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea exchanged fires at sea on June 29, killing and wounding people from both sides.
On July 25, Pyongyang expressed regret over the incident and proposed resumption of talks with Seoul. Seoul has given a positive response.
Ivanov said Russia would provide its full support for continued
Pyongyang-Seoul dialogue. On the Russia-DPRK ties, Ivanov expressed hopes for joint efforts towards closer bilateral cooperation in every field.
(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2002)
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