Russia welcomes contact between DPRK, U.S.

Moscow welcomes contact between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States on resumption of the Six-Party Talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday. In a statement on its website, the ministry confirmed DPRK First Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan had briefed Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov here Friday on his recent talks with U.S. diplomats. "Russia supports the dialogue between DPRK and the U.S. as a necessary condition for an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks about the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said. The two diplomats also discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in Northeast Asia. On Thursday, Russian high-ranking diplomats also held separate talks with a delegation from South Korea. The Six-Party Talks, which involve the DPRK, South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003, but got bogged down in December 2008. The DPRK pulled out of the talks in April 2009.