Russian Foreign Ministry perplexed by U.S.' call for Moscow not to work against it in Korean issue
MOSCOW. June 1 (Interfax) - The United States' call for Russia to cooperate to resolve the situation around North Korea rather than work against Washington causes puzzlement, Artyom Kozhin, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's press center, said at a briefing on Friday.
"We took note of the recent media reports that a U.S. Department of State spokesperson called on Russia to interact with Washington on the Korean problem 'instead of working against us on this threat.' If this remark actually reflects the stance of the American Department of State, this cannot help but cause puzzlement," he said.
"During Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and his meetings with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on May 31, the Russian side publicly reiterated its support for the efforts of Pyongyang and Washington to normalize bilateral relations, and also expressed hope that the DPRK-U.S. summit will be successful," Kozhin said.