MOSCOW, July 13 (AVN) - President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev will try to persuade North Korea to decide against further development of the country's missile industry and make a corresponding political statement, a high-ranking official of the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry does not consider the threat of a rogue state intercontinental ballistic missile strike against the United States to be real anyway, the official told the Military News Agency. However if the North Korean political and military leaders follow Russia's recommendations, the main US political argument justifying the deployment of the National Missile Defence (NMD) system will be made invalid, he stressed.
In case the US administration ignores such decision of the North Korean leadership, Russia and North Korea are likely to pool efforts to find an adequate response to the US plans, the official added.
In general, Russia is interested in strengthening its positions in the Asia-Pacific region on the basis of partnership and co-operation, he went on. This issue was discussed in detail during Sergeyev's recent meetings with South Korean Defence Minister Cho Song-tae and first deputy head of the Chinese army's main political department Xu Cai Hou.
The Chinese leaders analyse the dynamics of global military and technical progress and believe that all US revolutionary achievements in the military sphere are directed against China, the official noted. Russia is ready to make steps that will ease China's concern over this issue, but it also expects the US to make return steps, meaning, first of all, renouncement of the NMD deployment plans, he said.