Leaders pledge to work together to resolve N. Korean nuclear standoff
MOSCOW - President Roh Moo-hyun and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Tuesday on upgrading bilateral ties to pursue comprehensive cooperation in various areas, including energy and science technology.
The two leaders adopted a Korea-Russia Joint Declaration redefining the relationship as a "Mutually Trustful and Comprehensive Partnership" at a summit meeting in the Kremlin Palace on the second day of Roh's first visit to Russia.
Seoul and Moscow forged the constructive and complementary partnership in June 1994 after the countries normalized diplomatic ties in 1990.
Both sides reaffirmed in the declaration that the Korean Peninsula should remain nuclear-free and pledged to enhance cooperation within the framework of the six-party nuclear talks to defuse tension surrounding North Korea's nuclear weapons development.
President Roh Moo-hyun shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday at which they reviewed the summit talks they held earlier in the day. [The Korea Herald]
They also agreed to work out measures to connect the Trans-Korean Railway with the Trans-Siberian Railway and to link pipelines to bring natural gas and oil in Russia's Far East and Siberia to South Korea.
"I and President Putin decided to develop reciprocal relations between the two countries as South Korea's plan about a peaceful and prosperous Northeast Asia and Russia's strategy to develop the Russian Far East pursue something similar," Roh said during a joint news conference with the Russian leader after the summit.
Putin said Russia, which maintains friendly ties with both Koreas, is interested in energy and transportation projects involving the three parties, stressing political and economic benefits of such projects.
The railway project will enable South Korea to be directly linked to Europe if the two Koreas complete the connection of inter-Korean railways. Based on a South-North agreement reached during their first-ever summit in 2000, the South has finished building its side of the border-crossing railway but the North has yet to complete its work.
The envisioned natural gas pipelines will provide crucial energy resources to the South, and can benefit the impoverished North if relevant parties agree to make it pass through the North.
Former National Security Adviser Ra Jong-yil suggested earlier that Russian gas could be provided to the North as part of measures to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem.
Bilateral cooperation on petroleum is also expected to increase as the Korea National Oil Corporation and Russia's state-run oil company Rosneft signed a memorandum of understanding for joint oil exploration in Russia, first in Kamchatka and Veninsky on Sakhalin.
Reflecting their will to make good on the Roh-Putin declaration, the two countries inked an agreement to facilitate exchanges on space technology and another to waive visas for diplomats. South Korean companies also signed contracts for business projects with their Russian counterparts.
"With the agreement on space technology, South Korea and Russia provided a legal mechanism to speed up cooperation in the area," presidential spokesman Kim Jong-min said.
Russia will help South Korea's plan to build its satellite launching station and send its first astronaut in 2007.
The leaders promised to enhance cooperation in international gatherings and the fight against terrorism, and reconfirmed their commitment to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Roh and Putin also exchanged opinions on how to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue as six-party talks have so far failed to yield any breakthrough to settle the tension that flared up in October 2002.
South Korea and Russia are part of the multilateral talks, which also involves North Korea, the United States, China and Japan.
"The summit carries significance in that South Korea acquired Russia's constructive role for the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and secured energy resources," presidential foreign policy adviser Chung Woo-seong told a news briefing.
The leaders continued their discussions on issues of mutual concern during a dinner meeting following their formal summit, which marked the second time that Roh and Putin have talked. They met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Bangkok in October last year.
In the morning, Roh paid tribute at the tombs of unknown soldiers who fought against Germany during World War II, and met later in the day with Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament.
Roh, who arrived in Moscow Monday night after talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the Kazakh capital Astana, will deliver a lecture at Moscow University on Wednesday before heading home the next day.
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