Russo-Pakistani Working Group Considers Iraq, North Korea and Terrorism

The first session of the Russo-Pakistani working group for strategic stability, which was held in Moscow on Thursday, considered the problem of international terrorism, as well as the situations around Iraq and North Korea.

The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov, while the Pakistani one was led by his opposite number, Tariq Osman Hyder.

Mamedov told journalists after the session that the sides had discussed in detail the situations surrounding Iraq and North Korea. He said that Russia and Pakistan were in favour of international law, the UN Charter and diplomatic means being used to resolve the problems.

Moreover, the Russian deputy minister said that the issue of combating international terrorism had also been raised, as well as the situation in Afghanistan, where criminal gangs continue to operate.

Mamedov said that the Russian delegation had provided the Pakistani side with proposals to find a solution to the North Korea problem.

The deputy minister pointed out that the Russian side had already received a positive response on this score. In particular, the Washington Post featured an article by last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter that contained many elements echoing the Russian plan. This particularly concerned the return to the 1994 framework agreement between North Korea and the USA. Carter made a significant contribution towards seeing the agreement signed.