Russia invites South Korea to join Khasan-Rajin railway project - Galushka
VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 1 (Interfax) - Russia is ready to engage in trilateral cooperation with South Korea and North Korea as part of the Khasan-Rajin railway project, and the path towards stability on the Korean peninsula lies in the development of ties rather than in sanctions, Russian Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka told reporters on Thursday.
"Everything that has been implemented [as part of the Khasan-Rajin project] does not involve South Korea at all. At the same time, Russia's position has remained unchanged from the very beginning: come and participate in this project, we invite South Korean companies to take part in it," he said.
From the very beginning, Russia has invited its South Korean partners to view it as a trilateral project and invited them to join it, he said.
At the same time, Russia respects South Korea's opinion in favor of refusing to join the project, he said.
"In this context, I would like to note one thing: history shows that sanctions have never led to the result for the sake of which they were introduced anywhere. In my opinion, if one realizes that, it will be possible to draw the rational conclusion that the development of ties and trade and economic relations is a crucial factor of stability on the Korean peninsula," Galushka said.
The Khasan-Rajin railroad was put into operation in 2014 and shipped more than one million tonnes of cargo in 2015, he said.
"This million tonnes is worth far more than ten million words that were spoken over this period of time about the prospects and desirability of the project. In my opinion, it is important to move from words to action," the minister said.