North Korea has proposed new negotiations to simplify and abolish travel visas for Russians, Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka announced Thursday.
The offer was made during negotiations with the North Korean Foreign Minister Lee Su-yong, Galushka told the Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei radio station. The minister also stressed that increased economic co-operation between the two countries was unlikely to take place while nuclear testing continued in the country.
Pyongyang's recent nuclear tests have strained its relationship with Moscow. Russia joined the United Nations' anti-North Korean sanctions in May over continued nuclear activity.
The Russian and North Korean Intergovernmental Commission decided to cancel visa regime between countries in October last year, but didn't specify when the change would take place, the Rossiiskaya Gazeta government daily reported.
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