Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in North Korea to meet with Pyongyang's officials for security talks in an effort to boost defense ties between the two countries.
The visit comes as Lavrov said that there are increasing U.S.-led regional military threats on the global stage. He arrived in North Korea's capital on Wednesday and will spend two days in the Asian country following a summit in September that was held between North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sergey Lavrov Visits North Korea
The United States said last week that North Korea had transferred munitions to Russia in an attempt to boost Moscow's fighting capabilities amid its invasion of Ukraine. American officials said that this was in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban any weapons trading involving the Asian nation.
During Lavrov and Kim's security talks, they exchanged views on making joint efforts to expand bilateral ties in all areas. They also discussed other key issues of mutual concern. Kim reportedly expressed his resolve to carry out the unspecified agreements that were reached with Putin last month, as per the Associated Press.
The Russian foreign minister also met his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, on Thursday and lauded deepening bilateral collaboration between the two countries. The two ministers discussed "resuming full-fledged contacts" and intensifying economic cooperation.
Reports also noted that Lavrov and Choe discussed bolstering joint action on several regional and international issues, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula. A professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul, Leif-Eric Easley, said that the Lavrov-Kim meeting most likely means that the recent shipment of munitions from North Korea to Russia would not be the last transaction to be worried about.
Easley added that Moscow was set to commit further violations of UN Security Council resolutions after accepting Pyongyang's help to resupply the illegal invasion of Ukraine. This would be done by providing the Asian nation with weapons technology that could later threaten the stability in East Asia.
When he arrived in North Korea, Lavrov thanked the country for its "unwavering and principled support for Russia's actions in the context of the special military operation in Ukraine." He added that the Asian nation was among the few who declared their solidarity with Russia and did so openly, according to ABC News.
Moscow-Pyongyang Relations
The Russian foreign minister argued that North Korea's ability to do so is a hallmark of nations and governments that are "truly independent." He said that these countries prioritize their national interests and do not fall for the tricks that are played by their Western counterparts.
Choe said that Moscow and Pyongyang are building what she called an "unbreakable comradely relationship" under the "strategic decisions and leadership of Kim and Putin. Kim's visit to Russia sparked speculation that he was in pursuit of sophisticated Russian technologies in an attempt to modernize his country's own nuclear arsenal and ballistic capabilities.
On Friday, the White House said that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia. It released images that allegedly showed the containers being loaded onto a Russia-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia, said Fox News.
