Moscow, Pyongyang Pin Hopes on Kim Jong Il's Visit

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 26, 2002

Moscow, Pyongyang Pin Hopes on Kim Jong Il's Visit

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The top eader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Il, who winds up his second visit to Russia in more than a year on Saturday, had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The two held a one-on-one meeting for more than two hours in Russia's Pacific port of Vladivostok. Their discussion focused on bilateral economic cooperation and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Economic consideration as well as a desire to play an essentialrole in geopolitical stability on the Korean Peninsula lie behind Moscow's motivation to host such a meeting, analysts said.

Economically, Russia hopes to significantly revive its trade with the DPRK, which stood 115 million US dollars in 2001, an 80 percent drop compared with a decade ago when the former Soviet Union collapsed. A revival of bilateral trade would in any case instill vitality into Russia's depressed and under-populated Far East, which accounts for 70 percent of bilateral trade.

Putin and Kim discussed in detail a project to link the Inter-Korean and Trans-Siberian railways. The project would open a new Asia-Europe freight route via Russia and bring Moscow billions of US dollars in transit fees. Russia's huge Trans-Siberian railway could also get out of a largely idle mode.

Politically, to cultivate relations with the DPRK underlines Putin's drive to boost Russia's clout in the Korean Peninsula affairs.

Russia, which maintains an amicable relationship with both the DPRK and South Korea, has intensified diplomatic efforts in recentmonths on the Korean Peninsula issue, including last month's trip to Pyongyang by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

Putin on Friday reiterated Moscow's "sincere interest" in reducing tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula. Moscow hopes that its traditional friendship with the DPRK would help it play aunique role in the Korean Peninsula issues, thus restoring its status as a key mediator in major international issues.

Russia potentially has much to gain by warming ties with the DPRK, which suffered a cooling-down in the first years of the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. Pyongyang, on the otherhand, hopes to get Moscow's support in reforming its economy.

Russia is one of Pyongyang's diplomatic partners and could act as an important mediator in Pyongyang's recent efforts to resume contacts with its rivals, such as South Korea, Japan and the US.

The DPRK needs Russia's coal and minerals, as well as technicians to help restore its Soviet-built factories that have gone idle. Kim also visited military facilities, plants and local stores in Russia's Far East cities, looking for cooperation options to reform its economy.

Analysts believe that despite US President George W. Bush's speech branding the DPRK as part of an "axis of evil" and Russia'ssupport for the US-led anti-terror coalition, the relations between Moscow and Pyongyang will positively develop in accordancewith the two states' national interests.

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