North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will visit Sweden in the near future and meet with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on Friday, citing sources.

A Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman and a spokesman for Wallstrom both declined to comment.

Sweden’s Embassy in Pyongyang represents U.S. diplomatic interests in North Korea in the absence of U.S. diplomatic relations with the country.

The report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that he was prepared to hold an unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un following an invitation from the North Korean leader.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, which has limited the options for the two sides to reduce tensions over North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Sweden, however, was the first Western European nation to set up an embassy in Pyongyang, in 1975, and it has been acting on behalf of other western states in dealing with the secretive government in North Korea.

Sweden has been taking an increasingly active role in international talks related to North Korea behind the scenes Dagens Nyheter reported, citing sources. </s> STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will visit Sweden in the near future and meet with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on Friday, citing sources.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokesman and a spokesman for Wallstrom both declined to comment.

Sweden’s embassy in Pyongyang represents U.S. diplomatic interests in North Korea in the absence of U.S. diplomatic relations with the country.

The report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Friday he was prepared to hold an unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un following an invitation from the North Korean leader.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, which has limited the options for the two sides to reduce tensions over North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

Sweden, however, was the first Western European nation to set up an embassy in Pyongyang, in 1975, and it has been acting on behalf of other western states in dealing with the secretive government in North Korea.

Sweden has been taking an increasingly active role in international talks related to North Korea behind the scenes Dagens Nyheter reported, citing sources. </s> STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will visit Sweden in the near future and meet with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on Friday, citing sources.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokesman and a spokesman for Wallstrom both declined to comment.

Sweden’s embassy in Pyongyang represents U.S. diplomatic interests in North Korea in the absence of U.S. diplomatic relations with the country.

The report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Friday he was prepared to hold an unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un following an invitation from the North Korean leader.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, which has limited the options for the two sides to reduce tensions over North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

Sweden, however, was the first Western European nation to set up an embassy in Pyongyang, in 1975, and it has been acting on behalf of other western states in dealing with the secretive government in North Korea.

Sweden has been taking an increasingly active role in international talks related to North Korea behind the scenes Dagens Nyheter reported, citing sources. </s> STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will visit Sweden in the near future and meet with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Wallstrom, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on Friday, citing sources.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokesman and a spokesman for Wallstrom both declined to comment.

 Sweden's embassy in Pyongyang represents U.S. diplomatic interests in North Korea in the absence of U.S. diplomatic relations with the country.

 The report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Friday he was prepared to hold an unprecedented meeting with Kim Jong Un following an invitation from the North Korean leader.

 The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with North Korea, which has limited the options for the two sides to reduce tensions over North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs. 

 Sweden, however, was the first Western European nation to set up an embassy in Pyongyang, in 1975, and it has been acting on behalf of other western states in dealing with the secretive government in North Korea.

 Sweden has been taking an increasingly active role in international talks related to North Korea behind the scenes Dagens Nyheter reported, citing sources.

 

 

 (Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Larry King) </s> STOCKHOLM — North Korea's foreign minister met briefly with Sweden's prime minister Friday during a surprise trip to Stockholm that has fueled speculation about a possible meeting in the Scandinavian country between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said Sweden is hoping that "we can use our role and also our contacts," but stressed that it is up to the countries concerned to decide "which way we are going." She said that "we value this opportunity to arrange a meeting," though she didn't specify what she meant.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, speaking at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, did not answer directly whether his country had U.S. support to organize talks with North Korea.

"We have always said we want to be a mediator that facilitates this process," he said Friday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived late Thursday and met with Wallstrom, then made a courtesy call Friday to Lofven at government headquarters.

Trump has agreed to meet Kim by May. So far, North Korea has yet to publicly comment on what it hopes to gain from the talks.

Sweden has been rumored as a possible site for the summit, though a truce village on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone between the Koreas is seen as more likely.

Ri's visit to Stockholm, where he once served as a diplomat at the North Korean Embassy, has been shrouded in secrecy.

The Swedish foreign ministry said ahead of his visit that talks would focus on "Sweden's consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia" but also would address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Wallstrom was expected to hold further talks with Ri on Friday.

Sweden has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 1973 and is one of few Western countries with an embassy in Pyongyang. It provides consular services for the United States in North Korea.

The trip by Ri is being closely watched because a huge amount of preparation needs to be done before the summit.

Senior South Korean officials who traveled to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang this month and met with Kim say he is willing to discuss the North's nuclear weapons program.

That could suggest a potential breakthrough, or a fallback to the North's longstanding position that it's willing to get rid of its nuclear weapons if the U.S. guarantees its safety.

In the past, that has meant Washington would have to withdraw all of its troops from South Korea, a condition no U.S. president has been willing to consider.

Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark. Eric Talmadge in Tokyo and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. </s> Jan M. Olsen And David Keyton, The Associated Press 

 



STOCKHOLM -- Sweden's foreign minister held what she called "good and constructive" talks with her North Korean counterpart on Friday amid growing speculation about a possible meeting in the Scandinavian country between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom refused to comment on whether she and North Korea's Ri Yong Ho discussed a Trump-Kim meeting in brief comments as she left the Stockholm villa where the meeting took place. The building is close to the embassies of South Korea and the United States.

"We'll see what happens next," Wallstrom said. Ri has not made any public comment during a visit to Stockholm that started late Thursday. He also held a brief meeting earlier Friday with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Wallstrom earlier said Sweden is hoping that "we can use our role and also our contacts," but stressed that it is up to the countries concerned to decide "which way we are going." She said that "we value this opportunity to arrange a meeting," though she didn't specify what she meant.

Lofven, speaking at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, did not answer directly whether his country had U.S. support to organize talks with North Korea.

"We have always said we want to be a mediator that facilitates this process," he said Friday.

Trump has agreed to meet Kim by May. So far, North Korea has yet to comment publicly on what it hopes to gain from the talks.

Sweden has been rumoured as a possible site for the summit, though a truce village on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone between the Koreas is seen as more likely.

Ri's visit to Stockholm, where he once served as a diplomat at the North Korean Embassy, has been shrouded in secrecy.

The Swedish foreign ministry said ahead of his visit that talks would focus on "Sweden's consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia" but also would address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Sweden has had diplomatic relations with North Korea since 1973 and is one of few Western countries with an embassy in Pyongyang. It provides consular services for the United States in North Korea.

The trip by Ri is being closely watched because a huge amount of preparation needs to be done before the summit.

Senior South Korean officials who travelled to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang this month and met with Kim say he is willing to discuss the North's nuclear weapons program.

That could suggest a potential breakthrough, or a fallback to the North's longstanding position that it's willing to get rid of its nuclear weapons if the U.S. guarantees its safety.

In the past, that has meant Washington would have to withdraw all of its troops from South Korea, a condition no U.S. president has been willing to consider. </s> North Korea's foreign minister is expected to land in Sweden for talks Thursday, ahead of expected talks between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Ri Yong Ho is set to meet with his counterpart, Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, according to a statement from the Swedish foreign ministry.

"The talks will focus on Sweden's consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia," a statement said, without providing details about why this relationship was being discussed.

Because the U.S. does not have an embassy or diplomatic relations with North Korea, it is represented in the country by Sweden. The same is also true for Canada and Australia.

"They will also address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, which is high on the Security Council agenda," it added, referring to the United Nations Security Council, of which Sweden is a nonpermanent member.

The Swedish statement added that Sweden fully supports the Security Council, which has "unanimously condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs and demanded the complete, verifiable and irrevocable elimination of these program."

It said the aim of the North Korean visit "is to contribute to the effective implementation of the resolutions."

Ri's two-day visit to Sweden follows the surprise announcement last week of a planned meeting between Trump and Kim. While Pyongyang has remained silent over its agreement to the summit, officials in South Korea have said they expect to continue talks soon to work out details for an inter-Korean meeting. </s> North Korean ‎Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho is making a rare and surprise visit to Sweden amid speculation that Stockholm might be the location of the planned summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Sweden is the diplomatic liaison between the U.S. and North Korea. Swedish officials have offered their country as a possible summit site.

Talks "will focus on Sweden's consular responsibilities as a protecting power for the United States, Canada and Australia," the ministry said in a statement, but they also will address the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

"If the key actors want Sweden to play a role, facilitate (talks), be a forum or a link or whatever it may be, then we are prepared to do that," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told Sweden's TT news agency.

Niklas Swanstrom of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy said such a meeting would only be preliminary to higher-level talks but they could give an indication of what North Korea's interests and demands may be.

"The assumption is of course that (they) will speak a bit about the proposed talks between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un," Swanstrom said, noting relations between the two Koreas "have improved significantly" in recent weeks.

The visit comes as South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha arrived in Washington. She was to meet with former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but will now meet with his one-time deputy John Sullivan in the wake of his dismissal. A summit is also planned for the end of next month between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

North Korean state media has yet to confirm that either summit is taking place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> Ri Yong Ho is expected to meet Swedish counterpart Margot Wallström "in the near future", diplomatic sources told the daily Dagens Nyheter, without specifying what they would discuss.

Contacted by AFP, the Swedish foreign ministry refused to comment.

The report comes after Trump floored his own advisors when he agreed to accept an offer to meet nuclear-armed dictator Kim before the end of May.

One issue to be resolved is where those talks will take place.

Sweden's embassy in Pyongyang represents US, Canadian and Australian diplomatic interests in North Korea and plays a key role in liaising diplomatic talks.

Trump thanked Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for Stockholm's efforts to negotiate the release of US student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested for stealing propaganda material during a 2016 trip to Pyongyang and later died when he returned to his country.

Washington has long insisted that it will not allow Pyongyang to continue building and testing a nuclear arsenal. Kim's regime boasts it is now capable of delivering thermonuclear warheads to US cities.

READ ALSO: What exactly is Sweden doing in North Korea?
North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho will visit Sweden and meet with Deputy Prime Minister Margot Wallström.