Pyongyang: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to visit North Korea later this week, as reported by the North's state media on Wednesday. Lavrov's visit will take place from Friday to Sunday, following an invitation from the North Korean foreign ministry, according to the Korean Central News Agency, which did not disclose further specifics about the trip.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lavrov is expected to meet with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and may also pay a courtesy call on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. A primary topic of discussion is anticipated to be the possibility of Kim's visit to Russia, after Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to Kim during his visit to Pyongyang in June last year.
The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, mentioned in a briefing that there are no current plans for Kim to visit Russia or for Putin to visit North Korea in the near future, as reported by Russian news agencies. Nonetheless, Peskov noted that top Russian officials visiting Pyongyang typically deliver messages from Putin to North Korea's leadership.
This upcoming visit by Lavrov follows his last trip to North Korea in June last year, when he accompanied Putin to Pyongyang. The visit is part of a broader context of significantly expanded cooperation and exchanges between the two countries over the past year, following the signing of a mutual defense treaty in Pyongyang in June.