SEOUL– South Korea and Russia agreed Monday to work together to advance bilateral cooperation in economy, health and other fields, South Korea’s foreign ministry said.
The two sides reached the understanding during the policy dialogue between Deputy Foreign Minister Yeo Seung-bae and his Russian counterpart, Igor Morgulov, the ministry said.
Morgulov was in Seoul this week for talks with South Korean officials to discuss bilateral relations and North Korean nuclear issues. He doubles as Moscow’s nuclear envoy for Pyongyang.
Russia is a party to the long-stalled talks meant to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Yeo and Morgulov agreed to continue to make efforts toward progress in the economic cooperation centering on the “nine bridges”, which refer to cooperation plans for northern regions in such areas as energy, infrastructure, shipbuilding, agriculture and innovative platforms.
The plans, proposed by President Moon Jae-in during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in 2017, aim to eventually involve North Korea after the denuclearization issue is resolved.
Yeo also expressed hope that the two countries will work to move forward the key cooperation projects, including creating a large-scale industrial complex in Nadezhdinskaya near Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.
In the midst the COVID-19 pandemic, the two also agreed on the need to expand cooperation in health-related issues, the ministry said.
Yeo requested Moscow’s continued support for and participation in the Northeast Asia Conference on Health Security — a South Korea-led initiative aimed at fostering joint efforts to better handle pandemics and other health crises.
They also exchanged opinions on the situation in Afghanistan, the ministry said. After the talks, Morgulov met with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong.
Source: Yonhap News Agency