New york: South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss security issues related to the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean foreign ministry announced on Saturday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting took place in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Cho briefed Lavrov on Seoul's policy towards North Korea, which aims to ease tensions and build trust to promote peace and stability on the peninsula. During the discussions, Cho expressed "serious concerns" regarding Russia's ongoing military cooperation with North Korea and urged for its cessation.
The ministry's statement did not disclose further details, but Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported that Lavrov criticized the U.S. and its Asian allies for their military activities targeting North Korea. Lavrov described these activities as "provocative" and emphasized that sanctions and pressure on North Korea are counterproductive. He advocated for a return to mutually respectful dialogue as the only way to build a trustful mechanism for ensuring peace in Northeast Asia, according to the Russian foreign ministry.
Cho also highlighted the need for Russia to protect South Korean residents and emphasized fostering a favorable environment for South Korean businesses operating in Russia, as per his ministry's statement. Both ministers agreed to maintain necessary communications moving forward.
This meeting marks the first formal bilateral dialogue between the top diplomats of South Korea and Russia since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022. Previously, Lavrov had a brief encounter with then Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering in Laos in July.