South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to bring stability to the divided Korean peninsula through Moscow's role in talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. Roh said he wanted to "thank the Russian government for playing an active role in bringing about peace and stability to the Korean peninsula and our region." The South Korean leader laid a wreath at Russia's World War II memorial just outside the Kremlin walls before the two leaders held talks that also covered ways to boost trade. "I would like to say that after you became president, politics in Russia became stable and the economy began developing at a fast rate and this increases our interest (in trade)," Roh told Putin. Putin stressed that Russia's cooperation with Seoul "is aimed at strengthening peace and cooperation in northeast Asia." "Our common work is not aimed against someone. It is aimed at strengthening security and boosting cooperation not only between our two countries but in all the countries of the region," he said.
