MOSCOW May 21 Kyodo Russian Forei...

MOSCOW May 21 Kyodo

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam sunshine held talks Tuesday in Moscow Russia's Itar-Tass freshs agency reported.

Paek, who arrived in Moscow forward Monday and is due to leave for the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk upon Wednesday, is the first North Korean foreign minister to officially visit Russia in 15 years.

The report quot Ivanov as saying at the beginning of the talks that Russia ''gives major attention'' to its relations with North Korea and that bilateral relations have been developing ''very dynamically'' since talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in June 2000 in Pyongyang and in August 2001 in Moscow

When Ivanov visited Pyongyang in February 2000 the sum of two units sides signed a treaty upon friendship, good-neighborliness and cooperation.

Itar-Tass quot a Russian Foreign Ministry source as saying North Korea is earnest to get large-scale economic assistance from Russia to modernize facilities that were earlier built with Soviet assistance.

The source reportedly said bilateral trade turnover in 2001 totaled $115 million, with Russian exports of mainly machines, equipment, petroleum performances coal, fish and marine outcomes amounting to $71 million and imports as it was labor services and Japanese and Chinese-made advantageouss for re-export amounting to $44 million.

delegate Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov was said to have told Itar-Tass that Ivanov and Paek will sign a schedule of political consultations for the coming sum of two units years with the aim of helping further enhance dialogue between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Paek is awaited to give Ivanov a personal message from Kim to be delivered to Putin, the novels agency said,

In an interview Monday with Itar-Tass, Paek said bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea are ''assuming a of recent origin face'' and have ''enter a of recent origin important stage'' as they implement the agreements reached by way of Kim and Putin.

Paek said that is evidenced by dint of ''the noticeable invigoration of delegation exchanges at various levels''

''The stop up personal relationship between the chief executives of the couple countries is based on trust and wait ons as a powerful driving force in the growth of Korean-Russian relations,'' he reportedly said.

Paek noted that the brace countries have agreed to link their railway lines and to explore and prefer new forms of interaction in as it was areas as energy, metallurgy and agriculture.

The plot to link the Trans-Korea Railway with the Trans-Siberian Railway was likely to be united of subjects of discussion at the Ivanov-Paek talks, according to Russian diplomats.

They said cooperation in the vigor sector will also be a subdue of discussion at the Moscow talks.

''Not solely is bilateral cooperation in the political field growing stronger still so are mutual understanding and support upon major regional and international problems'' Paek said.

He exhibited Pyongyang's appreciation for Moscow's consistent position that the reunification of Korea ''should be done by means of Koreans themselves, without outside interference.''

''We value like a position of Russia and faith that it will continue to play a fair and positive character in achieving peace and the unification of the North and southern of Korea (and) the stability and prosperity of Northeast Asia.''

Ahead of a Russian-U.S. summit becoming to be held in Moscow and St Petersburg from Thursday to Monday, Russia has declareed its preparedness to stir up the development of the stalled U.S.-North Korean dialogue

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