Moon, Xi commit to denuclearization of Korean peninsula

IANS  |  Seoul 

The Presidents of South and on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to achieve peace and denuclearization on the Peninsula.

"Moon stressed that Xi's continued interest and support, as well as the Chinese government's active contribution, are important in completely denuclearizing the Peninsula and establishing permanent peace," the South president's office said in a statement.

In last week's summit, Moon and North Korean leader had also agreed to sign a multilateral treaty - which would include - to formally end the Korean War (1950-53).

Moon and Xi had also agreed "the two countries will closely communicate and actively cooperate in the process of replacing the Korean armistice with a peace treaty," the statement added.

Xi congratulated Moon on the success of the summit and said his efforts have been critical in achieving a positive outcome.

The Chinese added that had showed his willingness to denuclearize during his meeting with Chinese in on Thursday.

"Kim again confirmed his willingness to shut down the North's Punggye-ri and end the history of hostility on the Korean Peninsula," Xi told Moon.

During the summit with Moon, Kim had offered to shut down the Punggye-ri site this month in the presence of journalists and international observers.

Xi also had a phone conversation with Japanese Shinzo Abe, during which both leaders stressed the need to cooperate to address the North Korean nuclear crisis, agency reported on Friday.

The call comes ahead of a trilateral summit between Japan, South and China, to be held in on May 9.

The summit, being held after the recent inter-Korean summit and ahead of the upcoming meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump, will be attended by Abe, Moon and Chinese

--IANS

ahm/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, May 04 2018. 18:32 IST