Russia considers that North Korea has the right to launch ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan to defend itself against threats from the West and defended cooperation between the two countries.
Follow our live article on the war in Ukraine here
Russia defended North Korea’s legitimacy on Tuesday by launching ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan to defend itself against the Western threat on the Korean Peninsula.
“We consider the launch of these ballistic missiles as an absolutely legal and legitimate means,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Rudenko, quoted by the EFE agency.
According to Rudenko, one of Minister Sergei Lavrov’s nine deputies, it is “a response to the growing threats against North Korea, against the entire Korean peninsula, due to the policies of the United States and its allies.”
Russia has criticized North Korea’s ballistic missile launches in the past.
Rudenko told reporters in Moscow that North Korea is not obliged to inform Russia about the launches as it is a sovereign country.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea and the Ministry of Defense of Japan detected North Korean launches this Tuesday, which occurred shortly before the start of the United States presidential elections.
Pyongyang had already launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday.
Russia and North Korea have intensified their relations, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
South Korea, Ukraine and the United States have reported in recent days that Pyongyang sent around 10,000 troops to Russia supposedly to fight Ukrainian forces, particularly in Russia’s Kursk region.
North Korea and Russia have not explicitly confirmed the North Korean deployment, but have argued that their military cooperation complies with international law.
Seoul has warned of the possibility of Russia transferring military technology to North Korea, including nuclear technology, as a reward for sending troops to war against Ukraine.
Rudenko stated that the global strategic partnership agreement signed by the two countries “does not provide for the creation of a military alliance and does not represent a threat to third countries.”
According to the vice minister, the agreement respects international law, does not generate confrontation and does not alter the security architecture in Northeast Asia.
“The signing of the agreement is nothing more than a joint step by Moscow and Pyongyang to rethink approaches to ensuring security in the context of alarming political-military trends,” he argued.
The Russian diplomat also alluded to the visit of the North Korean Foreign Minister, Choe Son-hui, which concluded this Tuesday
He mentioned that the two sides held strategic consultations and discussed economic and security issues, including “all issues arising” from the association treaty. which includes a mutual assistance clause in the event of aggression.
Rudenko also denied any knowledge that Russia intends to increase rice supplies to North Korea to 600,000-700,000 tons.
Choe began his visit to Russia on October 29.
Source: Observadora
