Kim Yong Nam Meets New Iran’s New President

SPA Presidium President Kim Yong Nam (L) meets with the new Iranian President Hassan Rohani (C) in Tehran on 3 August 2013 (Photo: Iran President’s Office).

Iranian President Hassan Rohani met with Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium President Kim Yong Nam (Kim Yo’ng-nam), the DPRK titular head of state in Tehran on 3 August (Saturday).  During the meeting President Rohani said that he will push for an “all-out expansion of ties between Tehran and Pyongyang.”  According to KCNA the meeting was also attended by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, DPRK Vice Minister of Foreign Affair Pak Kil Yon (Pak Kil-yo’n), DPRK Ambassador to Iran Jo In Chol (Cho In-ch’o’l) and other officials.  According to a news release from Iran’s Presidential Office, Rohani “referred to long, good, and expanding ties between the two countries and said he is confident that the ties will develop during his presidency. ”  Rohani also “reminded Iran’s peaceful use of nuclear energy and said that Tehran is moving totally in the framework of regulations and pressures by the US and the west are not compatible with such regulations” and said “Iran believes that the US and the west are always seeking a pretext to confront with those countries, which are not friendly in their view, while all Iranian nuclear centers are under supervision of the IAEA representatives and inspectors.”  Kim Yong Nam said “conveyed warm greetings of North Korean leader and people for President Rohani and added that Tehran and Pyongyang are in a common anti-imperialism stance, so in this direction, North Korea has always considered Iran’s victory as its own.” and said that “that North Korea has always defended Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities in all international circles and considers this right as an inalienable right of Iranians and believes that the issue should be settled through dialogue.”  Kim also said that “that the US and the west want to deprive independent states of their own inalienable rights, but independent countries will resist and defend their rights” and “called for expansion of mutual ties between the two counties.”

According to KCNA Rohani asked Kim Yong Nam “to convey his sincere salute to Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n)” and Rohani recalled “with deep emotion the day when he had the honor of being received by the great Generalissimo Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-so’ng) 30 years ago, he stressed that the friendly and cooperative ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the DPRK would grow stronger in the future.”  The

Kim Yong Nam also met with members of the Iranian parliament on 3 August (Saturday) which according to FARS “explored avenues for the further expansion of trade ties between Iran and North Korea, and underlined the two parliaments’ role in facilitating friendly ties between the two sides.”  Mahnaz Bahmani, a member of the parliament’s Economic Commission said “We explored avenues for the expansion of bilateral ties, specially in parliamentary fields, during the meeting and also invited the officials and the (members of) North Korea-Iran Friendship Group to visit Iran.”  Kim Yong Nam said that the DPRK “supports Iranian private sector’s presence in different economic and industrial fields in North Korea” and that the DPRK supports “Iran’s right to access peaceful nuclear technology.”

Kim Yong Nam arrived in Tehran on 3 August, accompanied by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Kil Yon (Pak Kil-yo’n) and other DPRK officials.  At the airport they marched past, Kim processed past an Iranian military honor guard and, according to KCNA, were received by Iranian presidential advisor Soltani Far, officials from the Iranian presidential office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DPRK Ambassador to Iran Jo In Chol (Cho In-ch’o’l) and DPRK Embassy staff members.  Kim Yong Nam will attend the President Rohani’s inauguration on 4 August (Sunday).

SPA Presidium President Kim Yong Nam (L) and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Kil-yo’n at Pyongyang Airport on 1 August prior to departing for Tehran (Photo: Rodong Sinmun).