Korotchenko: Russia and North Korea should develop military-technical cooperation
MOSCOW, 13 Sep – RIA Novosti. It is advisable for Russia and the DPRK to develop comprehensive military-technical cooperation, hold high-level military-strategic consultations between the Russian Federation, the DPRK and China to assess the situation and develop joint measures to respond to new threats in the Asia-Pacific region (APR), military analyst, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told RIA Novosti.
Earlier on Wednesday, during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would help North Korea build space satellites. In addition, Moscow and Pyongyang plan to discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, including military-technical cooperation.
"In the new military-political configuration in the Asia-Pacific region, where the US and other leading Western countries are actively trying to put together anti–Chinese and anti–Russian military blocs - these are AUKUS and other formats - it is advisable to hold high-level military-strategic consultations of Russia, China and North Korea to assess the situation and develop joint response measures to new challenges and threats," Korotchenko believes.
According to Korotchenko, the military-political situation has changed after the start of the special operation, and in these conditions, Russian diplomacy should consider Pyongyang as a reliable partner "in all areas where such a partnership will be mutually beneficial and will give tangible results."
"North Korea is a manufacturer of first-class artillery systems of various calibers that are fully compatible with Russian systems in terms of caliber and the range of ammunition used. In addition, the DPRK has outstanding achievements in the field of rocket artillery, in particular, MLRS with a caliber of 600 millimeters – this is absolutely unprecedented, a number of other achievements in the field of creating samples of military equipment for the ground forces," the expert explained.
In turn, Pyongyang's primary interest is cooperation on outer space. The country already has a developed missile industry.
"In this regard, Russia could offer joint design and launch of satellites for various purposes for North Korea, the construction of satellite reception and processing centers on the territory of the DPRK. Any peaceful space exploration, up to the launch of a North Korean cosmonaut, is quite acceptable when we implement the project of a promising Russian orbital station," the source added.
In addition, food and energy supplies from Russia are critically important for North Korea.
"The talks that are taking place today between the leaders of Russia and the DPRK, of course, are closed, so the details will not be announced in the public field for obvious reasons. How and under what conditions this will be carried out will be determined by the nature of the agreements concluded, about which we are not obliged to notify anyone," Korotchenko stressed.
