First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Ri Pyong Du, accredited to the Republic of Serbia on a non-resident basis, with residence in Romania.

Noting that there were no open issues in the two countries' bilateral relations, the Serbian side expressed gratitude for the position of DPR Korea concerning non-recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of "Kosovo", conveying our expectation that this position would be maintained in the future as well.

Minister Dacic reiterated Serbia's position in support of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and resolution of the nuclear issue of DPR Korea by peaceful means, i.e., through talks between the parties involved. Furthermore, the Serbian side welcomed the improvement of relations between the Republic of Korea and DPR Korea and participation of both Pyeongyang and Seoul in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, voicing the hope that this positive trend of relations would also continue in the future.

Ambassador Ri Pyong Du expressed readiness for the strengthening of bilateral cooperation between DPR Korea and the Republic of Serbia, recalling the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries, dating back to the former SFRY. He affirmed the further principled support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia by maintaining the position concerning non-recognition of Kosovo's UDI.