ZURICH, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will travel to North Korea this week for political talks and for the formal reopening of Switzerland’s diplomatic office in Pyongyang, his government said on Monday.
• Cassis, whose visit begins on Thursday, will meet North Korean authorities during the formal office opening on October 30
• Talks will include the resumption of bilateral consultations between the countries’ foreign ministries, security on the Korean peninsula and geopolitical issues
• Cassis will afterwards travel to Seoul for talks with South Korean officials
• The Pyongyang office reports to the Swiss embassy in Beijing, which retains responsibility for diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea
• The office, operational since October 19, restores Switzerland’s permanent diplomatic representation in North Korea
• While Switzerland has actively re-engaged with Pyongyang in recent years, the EU has essentially frozen out direct dialogue with North Korea
(Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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