North Korean foreign minister arrives in Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Wednesday said North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Moscow to hold “strategic consultations” with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting was organized in line with an agreement reached during the Russian-North Korean summit in Pyongyang this June.

"On Oct. 30, the foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Choe Son-hui, arrived in Moscow on an official visit for strategic consultations with the Russian Federation’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. We will provide further details on the meeting’s schedule," Zakharova said.

Choe’s visit comes amid intense media speculation on the potential involvement of North Korean soldiers in the Ukraine conflict. Asked about this at a news conference in Kazan on Oct. 24, President Vladimir Putin neither confirmed nor denied any North Korean military presence in Russia.

Putin said Moscow and Pyongyang had signed a Treaty on Strategic Partnership under Article 4, with mutual pledges of military assistance.