New Delhi: India's security concerns were on Monday conveyed to Ri Su Yong, Foreign Minister of North Korea which has close military ties with Pakistan.
Ri, the first ever Foreign Minister from his country to visit India, held discussions with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in a "frank and and friendly atmosphere", according to a statement by the MEA.
The meeting, which comes nearly a month ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Seoul, also provided an opportunity to the Indian side to re-assess its relationship with North Korea, which is under heavy economic and other sanctions from the UN and western countries.
Swaraj reiterated India's stand "on the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including the objective of denuclearising".
"The Foreign Minister level talks were held in a frank and friendly atmosphere where issues of mutual interest including India's security concerns came up for discussion.
Swaraj conveyed to her Korean counterpart the significance of peace and stability in the Korean peninsula for India's Act East policy," the MEA statement said.
India has been worried over Pakistan's export of nuclear fissile material and reports that Pyongyang has been supplying missiles to Pakistan.
Despite sanctions and other multi-national efforts, the international community has not been able to curb the deep ambitions of Pyongyang, which has conducted several nuclear tests.
This has lead to tougher sanctions imposed on North Korean banking, travel and trade, reflecting the country's increased international isolation.
The visiting minister conveyed his country's appreciation for the humanitarian assistance provided by India to DPRK, and in this regard sought additional assistance. "The minister agreed to positively consider DPRK's request," the MEA said.
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