US-North Korea representatives to meet in Austria “as soon as possible”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: AP

In a statement, Secretary of State Pompeo stated: "Washington is ready to immediately start negotiations to change US-North Korea relations. We have invited Pyongyang representatives to meet with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun in Vienna as soon as possible."

The US Secretary of State stressed that the upcoming meeting in Vienna will "mark the beginning of negotiations to transform the US-DPRK relationship through the rapid denuclearization of North Korea, expected to be completed by January 2021 as committed by leader Kim Jong-un, as well as building a stable and sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Mr Pompeo said he had invited his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho to meet him next week in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which North Korea is also attending.

Earlier the same day, US President Donald Trump also said he would soon meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On September 19, the North Korean leader and the South Korean President signed the "September Joint Declaration" concluding the third Summit between the two leaders, thereby bringing inter-Korean relations to a new level with a series of important agreements.

Pyongyang has pledged to permanently close its Dongchang-ri missile test site and Yongbyon nuclear facility, a move that signals North Korea's efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. However, these intentions are contingent on corresponding goodwill actions from the United States.

The leaders of the two Koreas had lunch in Pyongyang on September 19. Photo: AP

On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the US to take constructive steps in response to North Korea's new commitments on nuclear disarmament.

In a statement, the ministry stressed: "We urge Washington to take constructive steps in line with the joint statement issued by the US and North Korean leaders on June 12, in response to North Korea's new commitments to dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile test site and shut down the nuclear facility at Yongbyon."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow welcomed the agreements reached at the recent meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang.

According to this ministry, the agreements reached are completely consistent with the roadmap for resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula proposed by Russia and China./.