Oslo host to North Korea-USA ‘informal’ talks: reports

North Korean and American representatives are holding informal discussions in Norway this week, according to reports by South Korean and Japanese media.

Published: 9 May 2017 12:54 CEST

Oslo host to North Korea-USA 'informal' talks: reports

Panmunjon, in the demilitarised zone between North Korea and South Korea, has been a location for nilateral talks between the countries in the past. File photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix

China hopes that the talks will make a “positive contribution” to relations between the two countries, a spokesperson was reported as saying by Japanese news service TBS News.

The spokesperson for Shi Xiang, China’s foreign minister, did not confirm to TBS News who had taken the initiative for the meeting, reports Danish news agency Ritzau.

Anonymous South Korean diplomats told South Korean news agency Yonhap that the talks will be held in Oslo on Monday and Tuesday, according to news service UPI.

UPI writes that North Korea will be represented by Choi Sun Hee, who leads the North America department of the North Korean foreign ministry.

After the North Koreans tested ballistic missiles in April, Pope Francis named Norway as a potential location for talks between the two countries aimed at easing the tension in the region.

“[Norway] is always prepared to help. The way forward is through negotiation – we need a diplomatic solution,” the Pope was reported as saying by Reuters.

In the 1990s, Norway acted as a negotiator in a landmark peace process agreement – later known as the Oslo Accords – between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Norway’s foreign ministry told news agency NTB that it did not wish to comment on questions related to potential Norwegian involvement in foreign peace diplomacy.