Russia in talks with N. Korea over gas pipeline: foreign minister

MOSCOW, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- Russia is in talks with North Korea to build a pipeline across the inter-Korean border to supply Siberian gas to South Korea, Russia's foreign minister said Monday. Building a gas pipeline across the two divided Korean states has long been a coveted project of Russia to sell its Siberian gas to South Korea, one of the world's largest natural gas consumers. South Korea is a big supporter of the project but it has yet to be approved by North Korea. The two Koreas are still technically at war, with no peace treaty signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean experts have said that the pipeline project, if successfully pushed, would give cash-strapped North Korea tens of millions of dollars a year in handling charges. After a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan, in the Russian capital, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there currently are "contacts at the level of gas companies' chiefs" in the three nations for the gas pipeline project. "If experts agree at the corporate level, all three capitals will provide political support," Lavrov told a press conference. The Russian diplomat also said talks are underway on another major projct to erect power lines across the two Koreas to provide South Korea with the secondary power of Russia. Lavrov said discussions are also under way to connect the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) and the Trans-Korean Railway (TKR), a project that experts say can help South Korea and even Japan transport European-bound exports overland. The two foreign ministers met as regional players are trying to re-open stalled the six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea. The forum groups the two Koreas, Russia, the U.S., China and Japan. Also speaking at the news conference, Kim said he and Lavrov had "in-depth" discussions about the current political situation on the Korean Peninsula. "Both sides agreed that the six-party talks, if resumed, should be substantial and practical," Kim said. Lavrov urged the six-party members to rely on "peaceful, political and diplomatic means" to help restart the talks. Lavrov also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been invited to visit Moscow "long ago" but the scheduling should be coordinated. The Russian diplomat said Moscow and Pyongyang regularly discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula. "We want (North Korea) to develop dynamically and to solve its international problems that would facilitate the normalization of the situation in Northeast Asia," he said. Lavrov said bilateral trade between Moscow and Seoul should reach a record US$20 billion in 2011 and added South Korean investments in Russia are on the rise. The two ministers said they also focused on expanding their relations, in particular through developing mutual projects in high technology such as space exploration and electronics