North Korea’s foreign minister is due to visit Sweden Thursday, a surprise move that can be seen as a first step toward a meeting in the Scandinavian country between U. S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea’s foreign minister is due to visit Sweden on Thursday, a surprise move that could be seen as a first step toward a meeting in the Scandinavian country between U. S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said Ri Yong Ho would meet his Swedish counterpart, Margot Wallstrom.
The ministry said talks “will focus on Sweden’s consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia,” but also will also address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Sweden has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 1973, and is now one of the few Western countries to have an embassy in Pyongyang. It provides consular services for the U. S. in North Korea.
“The aim of the visit is to contribute to the effective implementation of the resolutions,” the ministry said, referring to the condemnation of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs by the U. N. Security Council.
It said the United Nations had “emphasized the need for intensified diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
