Lavrov, Chinese FM discuss North Korea’s nuclear problem

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have discussed prospects for resolving the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula on the sidelines of the ASEAN Security Forum currently underway in Brunei. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Lavrov and Wang Yi “stressed the need to step efforts aimed at implementing the agreements, which had been reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia”. “The parties said they sought to develop and strengthen cooperation in all spheres. They specified the schedule of upcoming contacts at the highest level - between the prime ministers, the vice-prime ministers and the ministers,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Monday. Special attention was riveted to intensifying trade, economic and investment cooperation and expanding humanitarian contacts. “To this end, the parties praised the first visit to China by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia,” the ministry said. The foreign ministers of the two countries agreed on the success of the Year of China Tourism in Russia and preparations for the Bilateral Youth Exchanges Year in 2014-2015. “The ministers exchanged views on key international and regional issues. They touched on the situation in the Asia Pacific Region, the situation in Syria and around, prospects for the settlement of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula and Iran’s nuclear problem. They stressed the need to continue close interaction and coordinate the efforts within international organisations and regional dialogue formats,” the ministry said.