Russian FM meets N. Korean leader to discuss situation on Korean Peninsula

9년 만에 방북한 러 외무 라브로프, 평양서 김정은 만나 For the first time in nearly a decade, Russia's top diplomat paid a visit to Pyongyang. Today he sat down for talks with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Park Hee-jun sheds light on the significance of Moscow reaching out to the regime. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to Pyongyang-- marking the first visit between the head of North Korea and a Russian official. "We warmly welcome your delegation again in our country. And I think that your visit is a sign of how much attention the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin's government are putting into widening and strengthening relations between our countries." According to Russia's Foreign Ministry,... Lavrov told Kim that his nation also supports peace on the Korean Peninsula,... as well as the Panmunjom Declaration. After discussing bilateral relations,... the Russian diplomat also passed on greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kim,... and invited him to visit Russia. And earlier in the day, in a separate meeting with Pyongyang's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho ,... Lavrov called for international sanctions against North Korea to be scaled back,... to solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. "It is absolutely obvious that beginning any discussion of the nuclear problem and all other programs of the Korean peninsula,... we base our judgement on the fact that this decision cannot be complete without repealing all sanctions." He added that denuclearization cannot happen in one move. Instead there must be several stages,... with each stage seeing a two-way road. It's Lavrov's first visit to North Korea, since April 2009. His two-day stay, comes just two weeks before the landmark summit between North Korea and the U.S.,... and aims to discuss bilateral relations and the fast-changing developments on the Korean Peninsula. It's also seen as a mission to keep Russia relevant in the flurry of diplomatic activities surrounding North Korea. Park Hee-jun, Arirang News. Arirang News Facebook:   / arirangtvnews   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV:    / arirang   ARIRANG RADIO:    / music180arirang   ARIRANG NEWS:    / arirangnews   ARIRANG K-POP:    / arirangworld   ARIRANG ISSUE:    / arirangtoday   ARIRANG CULTURE:    / arirangkorean   ARIRANG FOOD & TRAVEL :    / arirangfoodtravel   ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube:    / arirangworld   Facebook:   / arirangkpop   Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld