India not mediating between US and North Korea

India is not mediating between the US and North Korea for talks between those two countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.

Answering a question at her annual press conference, Sushma Swaraj said that ongoing negotiations with North Korea started with a summit level meeting between North Korea and South Korea.

"After that there was talk of a meeting with the US," she said.

"Then US felt that China can play some role in this. Nobody has asked us to play any role and nor are we playing a role here."

A summit-level meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader was scheduled to be held in Singapore next month.

Last week, Trump sent a letter to Kim cancelling the historic meeting, but over the weekend he said in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office that his administration was continuing to work to ensure that the summit occurs as originally planned on June 12 in Singapore.

Regarding Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh's visit to North Korea earlier this month, Sushma Swaraj said that when she went to Baku, Azerbaijan, last month to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting, the North Korean Foreign Minister told her that the India-North Korea Joint Commission Meeting has not been held for over a year and the foreign office consultations have also not been held.

"He told me that if I cannot come to North Korea, at least I should send the Minister of State, but the visit should take place," she said. "V.K. Singh's visit came out of that."

--IANS

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