The senator held a news conference following a visit by a Federation Council delegation to North Korea.
Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs and Head of the Federation Council’s Group for Cooperation with the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea Oleg Melnichenko reported on the results of a recent visit by a Federation Council delegation to North Korea.
“We have a large friendship group with our North Korean colleagues at the Federation Council which comprises 23 senators and will accept one more member soon,” Melnichenko noted.
He pointed out that cooperation between Russia and North Korea was based on several agreements and was currently focused on education and culture. “Regrettably, our economic interaction has decreased because of the sanctions against North Korea approved by UN Security Council. But we continue to cooperate in other spheres, such as education and culture,” the senator explained.
Oleg Melnichenko said that North Korea was interested in the implementation of ongoing projects, such as the bridge checkpoint on the Russian-North Korean border, the Russian-North Korean Trading House and transition to the rouble for mutual settlements in trade.
“We are willing to promote consultations on these topics,” Oleg Melnichenko said.
A Federation Council delegation comprising Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs Oleg Melnichenko, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergei Kislyak and Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Alexander Bashkin made a working visit to the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea between 15 and 21 March on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the agreement on economic and cultural cooperation, which was signed during the first official foreign visit of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung to the Soviet Union.