PRESS RELEASE
North Korea To Attend Russia’s Third Eastern Economic Forum To Be Held in Vladivostok
Sept. 4, 2017 (EIRNS)—North Korea is expected to send a representative to Russia’s Third Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, which will be held Sept. 6-7, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far East Yuri Trutnev told reporters Sept. 4.
With the world facing a potential hair-trigger in the North Korea showdown, this could add to the channels and atmosphere to de-escalate, especially as South Korean Prime Minister Moon Jae-in and others from South Korea will be in attendance, as will representatives from the United States, Russia, China and India.
Russia established the EEF to obtain international cooperation in the development of Russia’s vast Far East, which is underdeveloped and underpopulated.
South Korea is playing a significant role in the EEF. On Sept. 4, Russia and Korea convened in Vladivostok a meeting of the Russia-Korea Intergovernmental Commission, to further emerging Russian and Korean economic and political cooperation. Kim Dong-yeon, head of delegation, who is South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and also Minister of Strategy and Finance, announced that,
"The new South Korean administration is planning now to actively promote a new policy of economic cooperation in the northern direction. Widening economic, person-to-person and trade ties especially with the Far East, as well as China and Mongolia."
On Sept. 6, South Korean President Moon Jae-in will speak at the forum on his "New Northern Policy," which will reinforce economic cooperation with Russia and other Eurasian nations. Either before or after his speech, Moon will hold a summit meeting with Russian President Putin, where they will discuss economic coordination, but also the North Korea nuclear nuclear issue and bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula, according to Arirang, a Korean news agency Sept. 4. Moon is also expected to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines (Abe will also hold a more formal summit with President Putin in Vladivostok).
This leads to the pathway of peace through development, rather than nuclear war.
Importantly, the United States will field a delegation of over 40 people to the conference, that will include such companies as ExxonMobil, IBM, Abbott Laboratories, and also Derek Norberg, who is President of the Council of U.S.-Russia Relations, TASS reported today.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj will be attending, reflecting "the importance attached by India to emerging opportunities in the Russian Far East," India.com reported.
