STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - North Korea’s foreign minister will visit Sweden on Thursday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said, prompting speculation that the two-day trip could lay the groundwork for a mooted meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho was due to discuss with his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom the security situation on the Korean peninsula and Sweden’s representation of the United States, which has no embassy in Pyongyang, the ministry said.
Sweden, which is not a member of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, has been mentioned as a possible location for a possible face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“If it is the case that the main players want Sweden to play a role, to facilitate, to be a forum or a link or whatever else, we are prepared to do that,” Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told Swedish news agency TT.
“But it must be the main players who decide, in that case, what role Sweden will have.”
With a diplomatic presence in Pyongyang that goes back to the 1970s, Sweden may also be able to help smooth the path for such a meeting, even if it does not end up hosting the talks.
“This meeting will hopefully lead to clarity about what North Korea wants from a high-level meeting and what the time-frame is and what the conditions will be - for example, should there be any preliminary meetings,” a source with knowledge of the situation said.
“It is not even certain that North Korea wants to have a meeting.”
The source said it was important to build confidence between Washington and Pyongyang, adding: “The United States wants to have help with consular matters and North Korea wants to be sure that no one is going to invade.”
Since Trump’s surprise announcement last week that he was willing to meet Kim, speculation has mounted over what location might be chosen to host what would be the first-ever meeting between serving leaders of the two countries.
Sweden acts as diplomatic representative in North Korea for the United States and has helped with the release of U.S. citizens held by the reclusive state.
In its statement, Sweden’s foreign ministry noted that the U.N. Security Council had unanimously condemned North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs and demanded the “complete, verifiable and irrevocable elimination of these programs”.
“Sweden fully supports the Security Council resolutions. The aim of the visit is to contribute to the effective implementation of the resolutions,” the ministry said.
Reporting by Niklas Pollard, Johan Sennero, Daniel Dickson and Simon Johnson; Editing by Gareth Jones
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