Published : Sept. 1, 2017 - 18:28
President Moon Jae-in will hold summit talks with leaders of Japan, Mongolia and Russia during the his two-day visit to Vladivostok, Russia, Seoul’s presidential office revealed Friday.
Moon is set to attend the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday and Friday. It will be his first visit to Russia since taking office on May 10.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a summit meeting and an extended summit with top presidential aides in attendance on Wednesday. Moon and Putin will also hold a joint press conference. The two leaders are also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding and agreements on key South Korea-Russia issues.
South Korea`s President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)
“At the summit meeting, ways to increase cooperation between the two countries, including developing the (Russian) far east, resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and consolidating peace on the Korean Peninsula, will be discussed,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
The meeting will be Moon’s second summit with the Russian leader. At the earlier meeting, held on July 7 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit in Germany, the two had agreed on the need to bring North Korea back to denuclearization talks, with Putin saying Moscow does not recognize Pyongyang as a nuclear state.
Following the meeting with Putin, Moon will hold talks with Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga to seek a means to develop bilateral relations and discuss North Korean missile and nuclear issues, Park said.
Regarding the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Park said that the two sides have agreed to hold a summit and are currently working on the details.
Aside from summit meetings, Moon will hold a luncheon meeting with ethnic Koreans and Russian dignitaries on Sept. 7, and give a keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum.
By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)