Reuters. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday (October 19), as the two countries forge closer ties in the face of what they see as a hostile and aggressive U.S.-led Western camp.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported that Lavrov's meeting with Kim had lasted over an hour but the ministry did not provide further details.
Lavrov, who arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday (October 18), earlier thanked North Korea for backing Russia's military actions in Ukraine and pledged Moscow's "complete support and solidarity" for Kim, Russia's foreign ministry said.
Lavrov's visit is seen as setting the stage for a visit by President Vladimir Putin, who has stepped up cooperation with politically isolated North Korea.
Speaking at a reception hosted by the North on Wednesday, Lavrov said Moscow strongly valued Pyongyang's "unwavering and principled support" for Russia in the Ukraine war, which it calls a "special military operation."
"Likewise the Russian Federation extends its complete support and solidarity with the aspirations of the DPRK (North Korea)," Lavrov said, according to the transcript of the speech released on his ministry's website.
North Korean state media said Lavrov's visit will mark a "significant occasion" in further consolidating relations between the countries.
Photos released by the Russian foreign ministry showed Lavrov was welcomed by North Korea's foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, and greeted by people holding flowers and flags of the two countries upon arrival. Lavrov's two-day visit comes a month after North Korean leader Kim made a rare trip to Russia, during which he invited Putin to Pyongyang and discussed military cooperation.
This week's visit will offer a "valuable opportunity" to review and outline practical steps for the implementation of the agreements reached between the two leaders, Lavrov said.
Lavrov also commented on Thursday (October 19) on the situation in the Middle East, saying there was a serious risk that the Gaza conflict will become regional, and that Russia is in contact with Turkey over the matter, the Interfax news agency reported. Lavrov also said attempts to blame Iran for the Gaza crisis were provocations.
