Paek Nam-sun, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Sunday on bilateral ties and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

The two ministers exchanged views on DPRK-Russian relations and many international issues of common concern, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over the development of DPRK-Russian relations and vowed to improve their friendly and cooperative ties.

Lavrov arrived here early Sunday after wrapping up a visit to South Korea. The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula topped the agenda of his visit.

"What is important is to reach a final agreement. The talks proved that they should go in the direction of seeking a package solution step by step," Lavrov told Russian reporters on Thursday before leaving for Seoul.

The third round of six-party talks, which involved the DPRK, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, ended in late June in Beijing with a consensus on the first phase of the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

The six parties also agreed to start up a step-by-step process in search for a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue that flared up in October 2002.

Source: Xinhua