North Korea, Russia discuss issues of mutual cooperation at committee meeting on economy

Seoul, Nov 20 North Korea has held the 11th meeting of the intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation with Russia and discussed a range of issues on mutual cooperation, the North's state media reported on Wednesday.

Yun Jong-ho, the External Economic Relations Minister of North Korea, and Russia's Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov attended the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology in Pyongyang the previous day, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the Korean Central News Agency.

The two sides assessed the implementation of their previous meeting's agreements and discussed in detail areas of mutual cooperation, including energy, agriculture, science, technology, health and tourism, the report said.

A Russian delegation, led by Kozlov, is visiting Pyongyang for the committee meeting, the seventh session held in the North Korean capital since the bilateral committee's inauguration in 1996.

On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Kozlov and was seen receiving and seeing him off outside the building where their meeting took place, as a gesture of cordiality. This was the first time a North Korean leader had met with a Russian head of the committee.

An official at South Korea's unification ministry has described Kim's personal meeting with Kozlov as demonstrating his "expectations for bilateral economic exchanges" and "showing off the North's closeness" with Russia.