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North Korea is counting on Russia to forgive its $8.8 billion debt, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday, citing Konstantin Pulikovsky, who oversees economic discussions between Moscow and Pyongyang as the Russian co-chair of an intergovernmental commission. In comments to the Russian state news agency, Pulikovsky called the debt issue -- which has resurfaced several times since talks between the two countries were revived in March after a six-year hiatus -- a "political one" that falls "within the scope of the countries' top leadership."
In essence, Pulikovsky said the debt is a matter for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to hash out, a not-so-subtle hint that if Kim truly wants the matter resolved, he must take the long train ride to Moscow.
Pulikovsky's roundabout invitation is part of a broader move by Russia to refocus on Asia and regain its lost influence in the region. For half a decade, Moscow has concentrated almost exclusively on its European neighbors, largely ignoring any development in the Far East or East Asia. But this is changing. As competition in Asia between Japan and China heats up, and as the Chinese, Japanese and South Korean militaries -- particularly their navies -- undergo rapid shifts in composition and activity, Russia is seeing a potential weakness in its eastern flank.
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