Russia, S. Korea agree on charter to govern bilateral cooperation commission's activities
ANTALYA. Oct 8 (Interfax) - Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea Moon Hee-sang have signed the charter of the Russia-Korea inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation in Antalya, Turkey.
The two met ahead of the third conference of parliamentary speakers of Eurasian countries. The State Duma and the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea created the format in 2016.
A high-level commission could discuss issues relating the development of the relations between Russia and South Korea "in a concentrated manner," Volodin said at the end of the meeting.
"Our relations have reached a certain level, and that means it's our responsibility to develop them further. The commission format will be helpful in this regard," he said.
The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was also among the issues discussed at the meeting.
"Russia is playing an important role in the reconciliation of DPRK [North Korea] and the Republic of Korea," Moon said after thanking the Russian side for active participation in addressing the problem.
The two hailed the positive dynamics in economic cooperation between Russia and South Korea. South Korea is currently Russia's seventh-largest trading partner, Volodin said.
Trade between the two countries grew by 27.3% in 2017 and by 8% over the past few months, he said.
"This indicated that we are building relations based on the principles of mutual understanding and mutual benefit," Volodin said.
According to the charter, the commission will be guided by universally recognized principles and rules of international law and treaties signed between Russia and the Republic of Korea and must work in conformity with Russian law.
The new commission's stated objective is to facilitate better cooperation between Russia and the Republic of Korea in various fields and the creation of an environment conducive to the development of cooperation between the State Duma and the National Assembly.
The charter states that the commission will facilitate the coordination of parliamentary activity between South Korea and Russia within international organizations and conferences, including those related to economic cooperation in Eurasia. In addition, the commission will organize regular consultations on matters of mutual interest, particularly in areas such as energy, the digital economy, transport, industry, tourism, and cutting-edge technology.