1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun held the 7th Republic of Korea-Russian Federation Strategic Dialogue with First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia Vladimir TITOV in Moscow, Russia, on April 15, during which the two sides extensively discussed the bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, cooperation at the UN and on other international stages, and situations in other regions of the world and international issues.

2. The Vice Minister and the Deputy Minister noted with appreciation that the two countries are seeing their relations advance in various areas on the basis of the friendship and trust built through the active summit diplomacy over the past two years.

3. The Vice Minister and the Deputy Minister, expressing satisfaction with the steady increases in trade and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, agreed to continue efforts to maintain the recent advancement of bilateral relations, and achieve US$30 billion in trade and see 1 million people engage in people-to-people exchanges in 2020.

° With the year 2020 marking the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides agreed to establish a preparatory committee for the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2020 and work closely together to make thorough preparations for various events that the private sectors and the governments of the two countries will participate in.

4. The Vice Minister and the Deputy Minister agreed to continue working together in following up on what had been discussed in the area of substantive cooperation, especially focused on “nine bridges,” at the ROK-Russia summit in June 2018. 

※ The “nine bridges” are gas exploration, railway construction, port construction, power generation, the Northern Sea Route development, shipbuilding, job creation (industrial complexes), the farming industry, and the fishing industry.

5. The Vice Minister and the Deputy Minister shared assessments of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and drew a common understanding that, for a complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, the relevant countries, including the ROK and Russia, should work closely together.

6. The two sides also discussed major international issues and regional situations.

7. After the Strategic Dialogue, Vice Minister Cho met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Igor MORGULOV, during which the two sides exchanged in-depth views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and ways to step up substantive cooperation.

8. The 7th ROK-Russia Strategic Dialogue served as an opportunity for the two countries to consult on ways to work together and discuss in depth matters of mutual interest, including Korean Peninsula issues, ahead of the 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2020. As such, it is seen to have contributed to strengthening substantive cooperation and communication between the two countries.