South Korean FM Visits Russia for Putin's Trip to Seoul

Russian and South Korean foreign ministers discussed Thursday bilateral ties and the Korean problem, confirming Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Seoul this year.

Putin has decided to pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea"some time in 2000," and the specific date will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told a news conference, after his meeting with South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yi Chong Pin.

Yi, who arrived here Wednesday to prepare for Putin's trip to Seoul, discussed with the Russian side "a range of issues of mutual interest, involving the situation on the Korean Peninsula in the light of the first inter-Korean summit earlier this month and other international matters," said Ivanov.

The historic summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea "has opened a door for dialogue and cooperation" and "will contribute to creating trust on the peninsula," he said.

The summit "has further weakened the arguments of those who advocate the creation of a national anti-missile defense system," he noted, urging that "the Korean Peninsula should be turned into a nuclear-free zone."

The agenda of Putin's visit to DPRK slated for July will include bilateral relations, security and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in the whole Asian-Pacific region, Ivanov said.

Russia has repeatedly announced its readiness to promote a favorable atmosphere for the inter-Korean dialogue and to take part in meetings of various formats to settle the Korean issue if necessary.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has circulated a statement in light of Yi's visit, saying that "relations with South Korea are an important area of Russia's Asia-Pacific policy and a constructive and mutually supportive partnership."

The last visit of a Russian head of state to Seoul was paid by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in November 1992.



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