(3rd LD) Blinken to raise N.K.-Russia cooperation issue at ASEAN gatherings in Laos: State Dept.

(ATTN: ADDS more remarks in 5th para)
By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to raise the issue of the "concerning" and "deepening" partnership between North Korea and Russia during annual gatherings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos this week, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday.

Blinken is set to represent the United States at the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit on behalf of President Joe Biden during his trip to the Laotian capital of Vientiane, which lasts until Friday, according to the department.

"I think you can expect that the secretary will raise the concerning, deepening partnership between Russia and North Korea in his engagements while in Laos," Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, said during a press briefing.

Growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has been a major source of concern for the U.S. and its allies, including South Korea, due to its implications for security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

Commenting on a North Korean diplomat's recent remarks indicating that Pyongyang would never bargain over its nuclear program, Miller reiterated that the U.S. remains "fully committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

During his participation in the upcoming ASEAN-related meetings, Blinken plans to discuss U.S.-ASEAN relations as well as geopolitical issues, including the "importance of upholding international law" in the South China Sea, Russia's war in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, the department said.

In an online briefing earlier in the day, Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, stressed that while Biden will not attend the ASEAN summit, there should be "absolutely no doubt" about his administration's commitment to the region.

"I think the strength of America's commitment to ASEAN and to Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region, and the president's personal commitment to the importance of the region ... those are both crystal clear and unmistakable," Kritenbrink said.

The diplomat noted that during ASEAN gatherings, China-related issues are likely to come up, including China's "escalatory and irresponsible steps designed to coerce and pressure many South China Sea claimants."

Blinken had planned to travel to Germany and Angola from Friday to Oct. 15 to join Biden for his engagements with foreign leaders, but Biden postponed the trip there to oversee preparations for Hurricane Milton.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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