Malaysia hopes to open negotiations with North Korea in the "next few days" to secure the release of its citizens trapped in Pyongyang following a row over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the foreign minister said Saturday. The killing of the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un last month in Kuala Lumpur International Airport with VX nerve agent triggered a bitter standoff between the previously friendly Asian nations, which have expelled each other's ambassador and refused to let their citizens leave.
Three Malaysian embassy staff and six family members are stranded in Pyongyang after North Korea barred Malaysians from leaving the country on Tuesday, prompting a tit-for-tat move by Kuala Lumpur.
"Talks are set to begin... in next few days" with Pyongyang, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman told a news conference.
"They want to start talking but ... before we start talking we have to establish a lot of factors first," he said, without offering further details.
Anifah held the briefing after meeting with relatives of the stranded Malaysians and said he had spoken to embassy staff in Pyongyang who appeared to be safe.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.