SEOUL, South Korea (AP) \u2014 Russia\u2019s foreign minister warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country’s ally for talks on further solidifying their booming\u00a0military and other cooperation.<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister\u00a0Sergey Lavrov\u00a0spoke Saturday at North Korea’s eastern\u00a0Wonsan city, where he met the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n
Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government\u2019s commitment to \u201cunconditionally support and encourage all measures\u201d taken by Russia in its\u00a0conflict with Ukraine.<\/p>\n
He said Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on \u201call strategic issues in conformity with the level of alliance,\u201d according to North Korea\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency.<\/p>\n
Lavrov called for the two countries to further strengthen their \u201cstrategic and tactical cooperation and intensify concerted action\u201d in international affairs, KCNA reported.<\/p>\n
Relations between Russia and North Korea have been flourishing in recent years, with North Korea\u00a0supplying troops\u00a0and ammunition to support Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance.<\/p>\n
That has raised concerns among South Korea, the U.S. and others that Russia might also transfer sensitive technologies to North Korea that can increase the danger of its nuclear and missile programs.<\/p>\n
Speaking with reporters after a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan of what he called military buildups around North Korea.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,\u201d he said, according to Russia’s state Tass news agency.<\/p>\n
The U.S., South Korea and Japan have expanded or restored their trilateral military exercises in response to North Korea\u2019s advancing nuclear program. The three countries held\u00a0a joint air drill\u00a0Friday involving U.S. nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula as their top military officers met in Seoul and urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities threatening regional security.<\/p>\n
North Korea views major U.S.-led military drills as invasion rehearsals and has long argued it is forced to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself from U.S. military threats.<\/p>\n
Russia understands North Korea\u2019s decision to seek\u00a0nuclear weapons, Lavrov said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe technologies used by North Korea are the result of the work of its own scientists. We respect North Korea\u2019s aspirations and understand the reasons why it is pursuing nuclear development,\u201d Lavrov said, according to Tass.<\/p>\n
During their meeting, Choe reiterated North Korea \u201cunconditionally\u201d supports Russia\u2019s fight against Ukraine, as Lavrov repeated Russia\u2019s gratitude for the contribution North Korean troops made in efforts to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia\u2019s\u00a0Kursk border region.<\/p>\n
North Korea recently opened\u00a0a mammoth beach resort\u00a0in Wonsan city, the meeting venue, that it says can accommodate nearly 20,000 people.<\/p>\n
In his comments at the start of his meeting with Choe, Lavrov said, \u201cI am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here. We will do everything we can to facilitate this, creating conditions for this, including air travel,\u201d according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.<\/p>\n
The Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone is at the center of Kim’s push to boost tourism to improve his country\u2019s troubled economy. However, prospects for the tourist complex aren\u2019t clear as North Korea appears unlikely to fully reopen its borders and embrace Western tourists anytime soon.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Elise Morton in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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