Kim, Putin pledge better ties at 1st summit
text_fields
Vladivostok (Russia): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday came together for the very first time and held a summit where the two nations pledged for better ties and expressed hope that the historic meeting will revive the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The summit at the Far Eastern Federal University is the first high-level meeting between the two countries since 2011, when Kim's late father, Kim Jong-il, met then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in eastern Siberia, reports CNN.
Speaking before the North Korean and Russian delegations, Putin said that he believed Kim's visit would help "our bilateral relations and will help us to understand the ways we can help to settle the situation on the Korean Peninsula, what can be done together, what Russia can do to support the positive processes that are taking their place now.
"We welcome your efforts on developing inter-Korean dialogue and your efforts on normalising the US-North Korean relations... In terms of bilateral agenda, we need to achieve a lot to develop trade and economic ties and humanitarian ties."
Putin said he had "thorough one-on-one talks about the history of relations between our countries, about today and perspectives of development of our bilateral relations".
In response, Kim Jong-un described his visit to Russia as "a great joy".
"I would like to offer again a sincere gratitude to Mr. President for making time in his busy schedule and come thousands of miles from the capital city of Moscow to here to give us time for a great conversation."
He said this visit was not only to meet Putin in person, but also "to exchange our mutual views on the Korean Peninsula"
