Владимир
Путин и президент Южной Кореи подводят итоги переговоров на полях ВЭФ
Press statements following talks with
President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in
Vladimir Putin and Moon
Jae-in made statements for the press following their talks.
September 6, 2017
09:40
Vladivostok
06':34 -- President of Russia Vladimir Putin:
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen,
We have just completed our meeting with
President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in. We had
a meaningful and constructive conversation, and discussed
in detail the state and future of bilateral relations,
as well as urgent regional and international issues.
The Republic of Korea is one
of Russia’s key partners in the Asia-Pacific Region. We have
always maintained close and mutually beneficial economic ties between our
countries. It is telling that in the first six months of 2017
bilateral trade increased by almost 50 percent, reaching $10 billion.
More than 600 South Korean companies
operate in Russia, and investment from South Korea
in the Russian economy exceeds $2 billion.
The most successful projects include
the Hyundai Motor car plant in St Petersburg with an annual
capacity of up to 200,000 cars, the construction
of a confectionery plant by Lotte Group in the Kaluga
Region, and a business centre and hotel in Moscow,
and also large-scale home appliance manufacturing by Samsung and LG
in Russia.
Korean businesses are highly interested
in stepping up cooperation with Russia, something that was confirmed
at the Eastern Economic Forum by the presence
of a high-profile delegation of almost a hundred business
leaders representing 50 companies.
We hope that Korean businesses will be
equally interested in taking part in INNOPROM 2018 International
Industrial Trade Fair in Yekaterinburg, where South Korea will be
a partner country.
Today Mr President and I have
agreed to stimulate the operation of the joint investment
and finance platforms with the aggregate capital of $1 billion
and to create a portfolio of promising projects, primarily
for the Far East, where we can make use of the opportunities
offered by the priority development areas and the Free Port
of Vladivostok.
During our talks, the Korean partners
confirmed their interest in creating a free trade zone with
the Eurasian Economic Union. It has been decided to continue expert
consultations on this issue.
We also expressed satisfaction with
the successful development of our energy cooperation. South Korean
companies are involved in the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2
projects. We are discussing the possibility of increasing
the delivery of liquefied natural gas. Fifteen tankers will be built
at South Korean shipyards to transport the products
of the Yamal LNG plant.
I would like to say that Russia
is still willing to implement trilateral projects with
the participation of North Korea. We could deliver Russian pipeline
gas to Korea and integrate the power lines and railway
systems of Russia, the Republic of Korea and North Korea.
The implementation of these initiatives will be not only economically
beneficial, but will also help build up trust and stability
on the Korean Peninsula.
We see the advantages
of the potential involvement of South Korean companies
in the construction of infrastructure facilities in Russia,
including the modernisation of Far Eastern ports and shipyards
and the joint development of the Northern Sea Route.
We also consider it important
to develop cooperation in agriculture. We will continue working
to lift obstacles that hinder trade in this area. We have scored
the first positive results: Russian food deliveries to South Korea
grew 17 percent to $870 million in the first seven months
of this year.
Mr Moon Jae-in and I agreed
on the importance of stepping up regional ties. The first
meeting of the Russian-Korean Forum for Interregional
Cooperation is expected to take place in the beginning
of 2018.
Cultural ties are also gaining momentum.
In May and June, Russia hosted the Festival of Korean
Culture, which was a great success, and Korea will host
the Festival of Russian Culture next year.
The 8th Youth
Dialogue was held as part of the Russia – Republic
of Korea Dialogue forum in Seoul and Pyeongchang. We hope that
South Korean youth will proactively contribute to the 19th World
Festival of Youth and Students that will take place in Sochi
in October 2017.
As everyone knows, next year
the Republic of Korea will host the 23rd Winter
Olympic Games. I would like to thank Mr Moon Jae-in for his
invitation to attend the opening ceremony.
South Korea has become a popular
destination for Russian tourists. Last year, the number
of Russian tourists travelling to South Korea increased by 19
percent, while the flow of Korean tourists to Russia increased
by 20 percent. There is no doubt that this was largely attributable
to the visa free arrangement between the two countries.
Of course, during the talks we
paid special attention to the situation on the Korean
Peninsula, in the follow-up to the September 4
telephone conversation on the sharp deterioration
of the situation after yet another nuclear test carried out
by the DPRK.
I confirmed Russia’s principled
position to Mr Moon Jae-in. Russia does not recognise North Korea’s
nuclear status. Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programme is
a flagrant violation of the UN Security Council resolution, it
undermines the non-proliferation regime and poses a threat to security
in Northeast Asia.
This is the reason why Russia
supported the statement made by the President
of the UN Security Council on August 29 to condemn
the latest ballistic missile launches. At the emergency meeting
of the UN Security Council on September 4, we also
condemned North Korea’s nuclear test explosion.
At the same time, it is obvious
that the Korean problems cannot be settled with sanctions
and pressure alone. We must not yield to emotions or try
to drive North Korea into a corner. Now is the time for all
of us to summon the presence of mind and to avoid
taking steps that could escalate tensions.
It will be difficult to resolve
the situation without political and diplomatic methods. More
precisely, it will be impossible to resolve it without this. We put forth
our practical proposals on this matter in the Russian-Chinese
roadmap. We urge all parties concerned to seriously consider our
initiative, which offers a practical way, as we see it, to ease
tensions and to move gradually towards a settlement
on the peninsula.
In conclusion, I would like
to say that our talks with Mr President were open and productive. We
have agreed to maintain regular contacts.
I have formed an impression that
our Korean colleagues are interested in promoting bilateral relations.
I would like to assure them that we are interested in this
as well.
Thank you.
14':38 -- President of the Republic
of Korea Moon Jae-in (retranslated): Allow me to begin
by expressing gratitude to President Putin for inviting me
to attend the Eastern Economic Forum as a guest of honour.
I visited Russia four months after
assuming the office of President of Korea. I made this
visit before any other visits I made in the capacity
of President of Korea. This shows the significance I attach
to partnership with Russia.
The Far East is an area where Russia’s
eastern policy and Korea’s New Northern Policy converge. Vladivostok is
the gate to the East. It has deep historical and cultural
ties with Korea.
I am very impressed
by the dynamic development of Vladivostok. The Republic
of Korea is the best partner in the development
of the Far East. I am confident that an active involvement
of the Korean Government and business community
in the development of the Far East will help turn it into a solid
platform for promoting peace and prosperity in the region.
Today Mr President
and I reaffirmed our strong will and our vision
for the further development of bilateral relations. We also
discussed a wide range of issues related
to the strengthening of our practical cooperation, primarily
the expansion of the foundation for bilateral relations,
including in the Far East.
The Korean Government has recently
created the Northern Economic Cooperation Committee under
the President. This has completed the creation
of a management system that will make Korea the leader
in the development of the Far East. The Committee is
tasked with strengthening economic cooperation with Northeast Asian
and Eurasian countries. In the future, cooperation between
the Committee and Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District
and the Ministry for the Development
of the Russian Far East will play a key role
in the development of the Far East.
Next year, we will create
a Korean-Russian Regional Cooperation Forum. It should bolster contacts
between regional governments in Korea and the Russian Far East.
Cooperation channels between regional economic communities and small
and medium-sized businesses will greatly expand contacts between people
and promote practical cooperation.
Mr President and I also agreed
to expand financial support and consulting services to promote
investment cooperation in Russia’s Far East in various areas.
Specifically, we agreed to create a new investment facility
for a total of $2 billion for supporting projects
in the Far East.
A decision was taken
to establish a centre for Korean investors in order
to support Korean businesses that want to work in Russia’s Far
East, and address issues that Korean businesses face. We also agreed
to hold regular Korean Investor Days in both countries.
Since the free trade agreement
between Korea and the EAEU has the potential of bolstering
cooperation not only between Korea and Russia, but also between Korea
and other EAEU members, we agreed to set up a working group
to explore the possibility of signing an agreement
of this kind. I think that the nexus between the rich
natural and energy resources in Russia’s Far East,
on the one hand, and Korean technology, on the other,
could transform Russia’s Far East into a new territory of growth
and prosperity for both countries.
Many Korean companies already operate
in priority development areas and the Free Port
of Vladivostok. The project to build a fish processing
complex and other projects promise great added value. I hope that
as more projects of this kind are launched, we can develop
a business-to-business cooperation model and create a new
bilateral cooperation framework.
The world's first icebreaking
liquefied natural gas tanker was built by a Korean shipbuilding
company and transferred to Russia, opening the era
of the Northern Sea Route, which until then seemed to lie
in the distant future. This example shows that this kind
of effective bilateral cooperation can be replicated in a number
of traditional areas, including transport infrastructure, seaport
development, agriculture, etc.
Despite the second warning from
the international community, North Korea held the sixth nuclear test
last week, which has been firmly censured. The North Korean nuclear
and missile ambitions are the biggest threat
to the development of the huge potential
of the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. This is
why we have come to the conclusion that this problem must be settled
as soon as possible.
Mr President and I have agreed
that nuclear missile tests are the wrong choice and that our current
task is to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In this
context, I highly appreciate the commitment of Mr President
and the Russian Government to the principle of nuclear
non-proliferation and their efforts to implement the UN Security
Council resolution and to settle the North Korean problem
through diplomatic means.
At the same time, Mr President
has expressed his understanding of and support
for the Korean Government’s efforts towards a lasting peace
on the Korean Peninsula and improved relations between
the two Korean states. I appreciate this. Such communication between
heads of state is conducive to strengthening strategic ties aimed
at settling the North Korean problem.
Mr President and I have also
agreed to build up the basis for the implementation
of trilateral projects with participation of the two Korean
states and Russia, which will connect the Korean Peninsula
and the Russian Far East. Despite lengthy talks, these projects have
not progressed for a number of reasons, including the North
Korean problem. We have decided to give priority to the projects
that can be implemented in the near future, primarily
in the Far East. The development of the Far East will
promote the prosperity of our two countries and will also help
change North Korea and create the basis for the implementation
of the trilateral agreements. We will be working hard on this.
In conclusion, I would like
to congratulate Mr President on the success
of the third Eastern Economic Forum. Mr President
and I will open a new page of cooperation not only between
the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, but also between
Northeast Asia and Eurasia in general.
I would like to again express
my gratitude to the Russian Government and people
for this warm welcome.
Thank you.
21': 45 --Vladimir Putin: I want
to congratulate our Korean friends on the Korean national team
winning the right to participate in the 2018 FIFA World Cup
in Russia. We look forward to welcoming your team.
