1. On the sidelines of the 37th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met bilaterally with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia on February 28, during which the two top diplomats exchanged views on the way forward for the Republic of Korea-Russia relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers, taking note of the fact that major international events will take place in the ROK and Russia in 2018, agreed to work hard to use these opportunities to take the bilateral relations a notch higher.

※ In 2018, the ROK hosted and will host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang in February and March, respectively, and Russia a FIFA World Cup in June, the International Industrial Trade Fair (INNOPROM), -- the country’s largest industrial fair -- and the fourth Eastern Economic Forum.

- The ROK will take part in INNOPROM in 2018 as an “official partner country.”

° The two top diplomats, calling the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games successful, agreed to work together toward the success of the FIFA World Cup Russia, which will kick off in June 2018.

° The two Ministers agreed to actively conduct high-level exchanges between the two countries during these and various other international events in a bid to step up substantive bilateral cooperation and strategic communication for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

° In addition, the two Ministers voiced hope that the ROK-Russia forum for provincial cooperation will be launched successfully in 2018, helping further bolster cooperation in developing the Russian Far East region. They also agreed to work closely together on the global stage by supporting each other in elections of international organizations.

※ The ROK-Russia forum for provincial cooperation, which the Presidents of the two countries agreed to set up at their summit talks in September 2017, will be the first bilateral consultative mechanism among provincial government agencies and small- and medium-sized enterprises. It is expected to be launched in the second half of 2018.

3. The two Ministers agreed to make diplomatic efforts to maintain the momentum of inter-Korean talks built over the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and to have this momentum lead to dialogue to seek a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

° Minister Kang stated that in the course of continuing inter-Korean dialogue, the ROK government will work closely with major relevant countries to resume US-North Korea and other talks aimed at the North’s denuclearization.

° Minister Lavrov expressed support for the ROK government’s position and willingness to work with the country, as the latter seeks ways to improve its relations with North Korea and to resume US-North Korea and various other forms of dialogue.

4. The first ROK-Russia foreign ministerial meeting in 2018 served as an opportunity to reaffirm the ROK’s long-standing friendship with Russia, the former’s main partner in implementing its new northern policy and for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula; and to draw a mutual understanding on the way forward for the bilateral relations in 2018.

* unofficial translation