FM Cho discusses cooperation with New Zealand counterpart amid N. Korea-Russia ties


Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, on Monday and discussed ways to bolster bilateral cooperation amid burgeoning ties between North Korea and Russia, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.

The luncheon meeting between Cho and Peters, who doubles as the deputy prime minister, was held in Seoul to discuss high-level exchanges, practical cooperation in the economic sector, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other major regional issues, the ministry said in a press release.

Both sides agreed that North Korea’s continued provocations and the close ties between Pyongyang and Moscow pose a threat not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to global peace and stability.

The two stressed the importance of a unified response and cooperation from the international community and agreed to continue working closely together, the ministry said.

They also acknowledged the significance of a joint statement issued by the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand
at last week’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.

The statement strongly condemned North Korea’s weapons exports to Russia, casting them as an “illegal” action and warning of strong “strategic counteraction.”

Furthermore, the two agreed on the shared vision of peace, stability, prosperity, resilience and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and decided to explore ways to strengthen solidarity in the future, the ministry said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency