“Readiness to manage Korea-Russia relations”
Russian Ambassador Lee Do-hoon attended the fifth inauguration ceremony of Russian President Vladimir Putin held on the 7th (local time). Although the United States, Japan, and many Western countries boycotted President Putin’s inauguration ceremony, Korea accepted Russia’s invitation. It is interpreted that the decision was made considering the protection of Korean residents in Russia and business activities. Some interpret that the government has taken steps to prevent Korean-Russian relations from worsening. However, some question whether it is necessary to send an ambassador directly to the inauguration ceremony while Russia continues to have close exchanges with North Korea, including military cooperation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Lee attended the inauguration ceremony of President Putin held in the Andreevsky Hall in the Grand Palace of the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. It is also known that ambassadors from France, Slovakia, and Hungary attended the inauguration ceremony. Ambassadors from 7 of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) are said to be present at President Putin’s inauguration ceremony.
Before this, the Russian Kremlin announced that it had invited the heads of diplomatic missions of all the countries that were stationed there to the inauguration ceremony. Russia designated countries that joined Western sanctions against Russia after the Ukraine War as ‘unfriendly countries’, and ambassadors not only from friendly countries but also ‘unfriendly countries’ were invited to this inauguration ceremony. President Putin, who won the fifth presidential election in March this year following the presidential elections in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018, held an inauguration ceremony on this day and began his six-year term until 2030. It is interpreted that the government is sending an ambassador to Russia to President Putin’s inauguration ceremony shows his will to restore Korean-Russian relations, which have continued to deteriorate since the Ukraine War. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “It was a decision that considered the need to manage Korea-Russia relations.” Earlier this year, Russia arrested and detained a Korean missionary working in Vladivostok on espionage charges, and also issued an unusual 30-year entry ban on a person who served as president of a local Korean association in Russia. As the government’s important responsibility is to protect the rights and interests of Korean residents and companies operating in the region, it is known that our government will maintain and control communication channels to prevent further deterioration of Korea-Russia relations.
However, most Western countries, including the United States and Japan, designated by Russia as unfriendly countries, did not send ambassadors to this inauguration ceremony. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “The United States will not be sending a representative to his inauguration,” and added, “We do not believe the election (of the Russian president) was free and fair.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi, the Japanese government spokesman, also said, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an outrage that shakes the foundation of the international order,” and said that no one from the Japanese government would be present. Twenty countries in the European Union, including the UK, Germany, Canada, Spain and Italy, did not send ambassadors to the inauguration ceremony either.
Reporter Ko Do-ye yea@donga.com
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