N. Korean, Russian cooperate to enhance economic, trade

Senior North Korean and Russian officials met on Friday to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and trade relations, Pyongyang’s official news agency reported. Russian Far East minister in Pyongyang to discuss joint economic projects.

North Korea’s Minister for External Economic Affairs Kim Yong-jae met his Russian counterpart, Alexander Kozlov, who was visiting Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

“The talks discussed matters of further revitalizing the work of the DPRK-Russia Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology and putting the equally-beneficial economic and trade relations between the two countries on a higher stage,” the KCNA said.

DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The meeting came as Pyongyang and Moscow have been stepping up their cooperation in the economy and trade. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first trip to Russia in April since taking office in late 2011 for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

Pyongyang has been seeking to expand its exchanges with its neighboring countries, including Russia, as sanctions are expected to remain in place and block its efforts for economic growth due to little progress in denuclearization talks with Washington.

On Wednesday, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said that it has sent around 3,900 tons of wheat to North Korea through an international agency as part of its humanitarian assistance to help ease food shortages aggravated by this year’s drought.