Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday agreed to keep working together to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue, including ensuring full implementation of the agreements reached by Pyongyang and Washington, the Kremlin said.
Putin and Moon highly appreciated the important role of each other in settling the Korean Peninsula issue and in restoring peace and prosperity on the peninsula, according to a joint statement released by the Kremlin following the talks of the two leaders.
"The leaders of the two states agreed to continue joint efforts aimed at achieving full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and ensuring lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," the statement read.
Putin and Moon noted that the situation on the Korean Peninsula has been consistently improving of late.
"Inter-Korean contacts have been restored. Encouraging results have been achieved as a result of two meetings between the leaders of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," Putin said after the talks.
On April 27, Moon and DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un held their first meeting in Panmunjom, agreeing to complete the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the change of the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty. The two leaders held their second summit in Panmunjom on May 26.
Putin and Moon also marked the results of the DPRK-U.S. summit in Singapore, saluting "Pyongyang's and Washington's disposition to reach a comprehensive solution of the crisis by means of dialogue and negotiations."
"We hope that it will permit to substantially ease the tension around the Korean Peninsula and in the future to create conditions for the formation of a stable system of security for all the countries of the region," Putin said.
The DPRK top leader and U.S. President Donald Trump held an unprecedented summit on June 12 in Singapore and signed a joint statement after their meeting. Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to a complete denuclearization.
During the talks, Putin said Moscow and Seoul share common approaches to resolving pressing international issues including the one on the nuclear program of the DPRK, according to a Kremlin transcript.
"Russia has always advocated normalization on the Korean Peninsula and has always made and intends to make further its feasible contribution to the settlement of all disputable issues," he said.
For his part, Moon said he and Putin have the same goals of the DPRK's denuclearization and the establishment of sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula, adding that the two countries are working closely together in these areas.
"We will continue to interact closely with the Russian government to ensure that both the DPRK and the U.S. implement all agreements," Moon was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
The two leaders also agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in a range of sectors. A number of bilateral documents were signed following the meeting, according to the Kremlin.
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