Russian foreign minister calls for efforts to keep peace after North Korea's missile launches
In this photo provided by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov greet each other prior to their talks in Seoul, Wednesday, March 24. AP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and warned against "all kinds of military activities" Thursday, hours after North Korea fired off what appeared to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
Lavrov made the remark in a press statement after his talks with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, where South Korea called for Moscow to play a "constructive" role in fostering a lasting peace on the divided peninsula.
"I particularly emphasized the importance of efforts to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia, as well as on the Korean Peninsula," the top Russian diplomat said in remarks interpreted in Korean.
"What's included in that is that all concerned countries have to renounce an arms race and activation of all kinds of military activities," he added.
Lavrov also stressed that Russia is interested in an "open and inclusive" consultative forum ― in what appears to be a rebuke of the United States' push to cement the Quad forum involving Australia, Japan and India.
The two countries' first foreign ministerial meeting in Seoul since 2009 came after tensions flared anew due to North Korea's missile launches in the morning and an acrimonious Sino-U.S. rivalry that has brought China and Russia closer together.
At the start of their talks, Chung called Russia a partner for regional peace, while touting progress in bilateral exchanges since the establishment of relations between the two countries in 1990.
"The relations between South Korea and Russia ― partners on a journey for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Eurasia ― have steadily been developing in a multi-faceted way," Chung said at the start of the talks.
"Conditions for exchanges and cooperation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are not easy. But particularly at such a juncture, we should closely cooperate to strengthen communication and activate people-to-people exchanges," he added.
Lavrov's visit to Seoul following his trip to Beijing has developed geopolitical overtones, as the United States pushed to "reinvigorate and modernize" its regional democratic alliances, with China and Russia moving to close ranks with each other.
Lavrov is set to leave here later in the day. (Yonhap)