Russia, Japan welcome 'positive dialogue' between Koreas

Russia and Japan on Friday welcomed the continued positive dialogue between North and South Korea, calling it as a promising move.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the outcome of the inter-Korean summit and said that Moscow always wanted the two Koreas to end hostilities and work together for ensuring a peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula.

His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said in a statement, "This is very positive news. In this case, we positively regard the meeting itself between the two Koreas' leaders and the declared outcome of the negotiations," TASS agency reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also praised the success of the inter-Korean summit. However, he urged North Korea to take "concrete action" for achieving denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula.

 

Earlier in the day, China applauded the political courage of the two Korean leaders, Kim Jong-un of North Korea and Moon Jae-in of South Korea, adding that the inter-Korean summit yielded positive results.

The two Koreas have agreed to sign a peace treaty formally later this year, ending the 65-year old war between the two countries.

The Korean War between the two countries took place between 1950-53, which ended with a ceasefire and signing of an armistice agreement. Technically, both the countries are still at war since no peace treaty has been signed between them.

In a joint declaration of the third inter-Korean summit at the Peace House at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the document formally called the 'Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula' read, "The two leaders solemnly declare that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and a new era of peace has begun," CNN reported.

Kim, in a statement, said that the two Koreas were one united people who should work together towards reunification.

Moon also reiterated that it marked the rise of "a new era of peace."

This is the first time in 11 years that an inter-Korean summit is being held between the two Korean leaders. It is also the first-ever summit to be held in South Korea.