Dialogue with North Korea is positive, but it remains to be seen if it will bring concrete results, said Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide of Høyre (H). She warned against easing the pressure.
Søreide visited her Japanese colleague, Taro Kono on Thursday,while intensive meetings and peace diplomacy in the region are ongoing.
“We have a common position that we are positive about, and keenly optimistic for the talks that will take place between South Korea and North Korea, and with the United States. But we are clear that we cannot ease the political and diplomatic pressures and the economic sanctions prematurely,” she said after the meeting in Japan.
Søreide described a “general concern” that the positive developments might not lead to real changes.
This week, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, visited North Korea and brought home three Americans who have been in prison there. A historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump is soon to take place.
“When there seem to be significant steps forward, it’s easy to get over enthusiastic. But if you look at the symbolic actions, you have not yet seen any unanimity or concrete results,” said Søreide.
“It’s important to remember how it was before,” she emphasised.
Even earlier, there had apparently been a breakthrough in the dialogue with the North Korean regime. Yet, North Korea still retains the development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles and biological and chemical weapons, according to the Norwegian Foreign Minister.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
