MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- Top diplomats of South Korea and Russia on Friday agreed to closely work together to bring North Korea to the negotiating table over its nuclear programs.

Foreign Ministers Kang Kyung-wha and Sergey Lavrov also shared expectations that the upcoming leaders’ summit will give new momentum to the development of bilateral ties between the two countries.

Foreign Ministers Kang Kyung-wha (left) and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov (Yonhap)
Kang arrived in Moscow Thursday for a three-day visit ahead of President Moon Jan-in’s trip to Vladivostok from Sept. 6-7 to attend the Eastern Economic Forum and hold a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

During the talks, Kang and Lavrov agreed to step up their collaboration and employ both sanctions and dialogue to get North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions, according to Seoul officials.

Kang hailed Russia’s commitment to denuclearization of North Korea and called on Moscow to use its maximum influence on the regime.

The Russian foreign minister reaffirmed his country’s unwavering objection to a nuclear-armed North Korea and its resolve to faithfully implement international sanctions on North Korea.

In his opening remarks, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to broaden and deepen bilateral cooperation with South Korea in various fields.

They shared the expectation that the upcoming summit would generate remarkable results in resolving the North Korean problem and advancing the South Korea-Russia relationship.