U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Singapore Saturday with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Kyaw Tin and called for the immediate release of two Reuters journalists detained in Myanmar.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told VOA Pompeo raised the issue during their meeting and said the U.S. is very concerned about the ongoing detention of the two journalists. The journalists were charged with possessing documents linked to security operations against Rohingya militants in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state.

Pompeo and Kyaw Tin met on the sidelines of a meeting of regional leaders from Southeast Asian countries.

North Korea 

Pompeo told a group of traveling and locally based reporters that he is confident North Korea will denuclearize, but acknowledged that he has not met with North Korean officials during this visit.

He said there are reports that Russia is violating the U.N. sanctions against North Korea, which would be a very serious matter. 

“We have seen reports that Russia is allowing for joint ventures with North Korean firms and granting new work permits to North Korean guest workers,” he said. “If these reports prove accurate, and we have every reason to believe that they are, that would be in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2375.”

Pompeo said he has told the leaders he has met with on this tour that it is imperative to maintain sanctions against North Korea.

Sanctions on Russia

On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on a Russian bank for helping North Korea avoid U.N. Security Council actions intended to restrain Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The agency said Moscow-based Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank expedited “a significant transaction” with an individual who the U.S. blacklisted for being involved in North Korea’s weapons development programs.

Treasury said the Russian bank conducted the transaction for Han Jang Su, the Moscow-based head of North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank (FTB), Pyongyang’s primary foreign exchange bank. Han’s deputy, Ri Jong Won, who is also based in Moscow, also was targeted by the sanctions. The department said both Han and Ri should be expelled from Russia under U.N. resolutions designed to pressure North Korea for its weapons programs. Treasury also targeted what it said were two FTB front companies, China-based Dandong Zhongsheng Industry & Trade Co. Ltd. and Korea Ungum Corporation.

Turkey tensions

Asked about tensions with Turkey over detained American pastor Andrew Brunson, Pompeo again called for him to be released. He said Turkey remains a valuable NATO ally of the United States, and he said he is working closely with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on a number of issues.

Pompeo held talks Saturday with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

He signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for the U.S.-Singapore Third Country Training Program (TCTP). The TCTP supports community-building efforts by enhancing connectivity, promoting sustainable development, and strengthening regional resilience among the 10 ASEAN member states.

​Chinese counterpart

Pompeo met Friday with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Singapore. The two men did not speak to the press after the meeting, but shortly thereafter China warned it would impose new tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods if the Trump administration follows through with its latest trade threats.

The Commerce Ministry said the proposed tariffs of 5 percent to 25 percent on more than 5,200 U.S. goods are restrained and maintained it has the right to take retaliatory action in the escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

On Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Minister told reporters the U.S. needed to calm down and consider its own consumers, responding to threats by the Trump administration to raise its proposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from the initially planned 10 percent to 25 percent. Wang said raising tariffs would hurt U.S. consumers and businesses located in China.

“Instead of achieving one’s own goal by doing this, we believe it will only hurt one’s own interests,” Wang said.

The U.S. says it wants China to stop stealing U.S. corporate secrets and stop subsidizing Chinese companies with cheap loans that give them an unfair advantage.

Pompeo started his Southeast Asia tour Thursday in Malaysia. After wrapping up his ASEAN meetings, Pompeo will head to Indonesia for the last stop of this trip. 
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