Moon, Medvedev vow joint efforts to establish peace, boost economic cooperation Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev shake hands before the start of their meeting in Moscow on June 21, 2018. – Yonhap News

SEOUL/MOSCOW. — South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev agreed yesterday to strengthen the countries’ joint efforts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula while also boosting their bilateral economic cooperation.

The agreement came in a meeting held in Moscow where the South Korean president was making a three-day state visit.

“President Moon and Prime Minister Medvedev agreed to strengthen the strategic communication between the two countries to assist complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace, noting the positive change in conditions taking place on the Korean Peninsula, such as the two South-North Korea summits and the June 12 North Korea-US summit, are creating new possibilities for cooperation between South Korea and Russia,” Moon’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.

Moon arrived in Moscow earlier in the day for a three-day state visit. He is scheduled to hold a bilateral summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“I believe the two countries are very important cooperation partners to each other,” the South Korean president told Medvedev, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.

He noted the countries’ bilateral trade jumped 40 percent on-year to around US$19 billion in 2017, with the number of visitors between the two countries coming to more than half a million.

“But I believe this is only the beginning and that we have endless possibilities and potentials,” Moon added.

Medvedev said Moon’s trip to Russia itself marked an “important event” to his country.

The Russian prime minister expressed hope they will discuss various issues, including ways to further increase the countries’ economic cooperation and the security conditions on the Korean Peninsula, the pool reports said.

Moon’s trip to Russia followed his two historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, held April 27 and May 26, as well as Kim’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore last week.

The South Korean president earlier said the meetings with the North Korean leader marked a “great transition” toward peace, noting Kim has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“When a peace regime is established on the Korean Peninsula, economic cooperation between the South and North Korea will take off and will be expanded to three-way cooperation with Russia,” Moon said earlier in a special speech delivered at the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia.

Medvedev praised the South Korean government’s role in making the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit possible, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

He expressed hope for three-way cooperation between his country and the two Koreas in areas of railway, natural gas and electricity, which were earlier singled out by Moon as areas with the greatest potential for mutual benefits for the three countries.

“President Moon suggested the countries reach an agreement on the pursuit of three-way cooperation projects between South Korea, North Korea and Russia during his visit to Russia and set up detailed actions plans in the future based on the outcome of joint studies,” the press release said. – Yonhap News

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