1. On July 30, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Chairman of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutskiy, who is on a visit to the Republic of Korea to increase exchanges and cooperation between the parliaments of the ROK and Russia, and exchanged views on the ROK-Russia relations, ways to facilitate exchanges between the parliaments of the two countries, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Minister Kang stressed that the cooperative relations between the ROK and Russia had been deepening recently, as demonstrated by President Moon Jae-in’s successful state visit to Russia in June, and took note that the parliaments of the two countries contributed significantly to the remarkable development of the ROK-Russia relations.

o Minister Kang especially expressed appreciation for the Russian State Duma’s cooperation to invite President Moon Jae-in to deliver an address on the importance of the ROK-Russia relations and the way forward at the State Duma representing the people of Russia.

o Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Slutskiy said that President Moon’s visit to Russia was a historic milestone that helped the bilateral relations take a leap forward, and especially said that many Russian people were deeply impressed by President Moon’s address at the State Duma.

3. Minister Kang said it held great significance that amid the growing importance of Eurasia, the “Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments” was created at the initiative of the parliaments of the ROK and Russia, and had been held every year since 2016. The Minister hoped that the meeting would be facilitated, and contribute to advancing not only the ROK-Russia relations, but also ties among Eurasian countries.

o Chairman Slutskiy said that the Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments would contribute significantly to elevating cooperation between the ROK and Russian parliaments to a higher level, and offered to work together towards the continued development of the Meeting.

※ The Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments was created by the parliaments of the ROK and Russia (April 2016).

※ Meetings of Speakers of Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments

- The first Meeting, held in April 2016 in Moscow, was attended by 19 countries (speakers of parliaments of 11 countries, and vice speakers of parliaments of 7 countries).

- The second Meeting, held in June 2017 in Seoul, was attended by 24 countries.

- The third Meeting, scheduled to take place in October 2018 in Antalya, Turkey, will bring together 65 countries.

4. Minister Kang asked for the Russian side’s interest and support to make sure that the process to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to establish peace on the Peninsula moves forward smoothly. Chairman Slutskiy said that he was well aware of the ROK government’s position on issues on the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian parliament would provide active cooperation.

5. Chairman Slutskiy, who began his visit to the ROK with the meeting with Foreign Minister Kang, will visit the ROK National Assembly on July 30, and meet with key members of the National Assembly, including National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Kang Seok-ho.

* unofficial translation