Manila: North Korea will send a delegation to the regional security forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in August. It is also hoping that Asean will not issue a strong statement at a leaders’ summit in November that will embarrass and prevent it from pursuing its intermediate-range missile tests, a senior Philippine official said
North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Choi and his delegation came to Manila to discuss their attendance at the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) meeting on Aug 7, said Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, adding, “The purpose of the visit is to discuss Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong participating in next week’s meeting.”
The North Korean delegation was also brought to the venues of ARF meetings, said Cayetano.
North Korea is also looking forward, for Asean leaders not to issue a strong statement against Korea’s missile tests, at the Asean leaders’ summit before end of 2017, said Cayetano, but did not give details.
At the Asean leaders’ summit last April, Asean foreign ministers already criticised North Korea’s missile program; its first intercontinental ballistic missile in July and its series of missile tests since February.
ARF is attended by foreign ministers of 10 member Asean countries, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. Asean is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Pyongyang has sent diplomats to Manila earlier this year. It sent a letter to Asean’s secretary-general; a North Korean diplomat also met with Philippine ambassador to Beijing Chito Sta. Romana. North Korea to invite Cayetano to Pyongyang, the foreign affairs department said.
The Philippines is Asean chairman this year.
