Russia and North Korea have virtually agreed to resume a meeting of a bilateral economic cooperation committee within this year.

Russia's Regional Development Ministry said Tuesday that North Korean Trade Minister Ri Ryong-nam and Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin held a meeting in Moscow on Monday.

After their talks, the two officials announced that their two countries will most likely hold a meeting of their economic cooperation committee within this year. If held, the meeting would be the fifth of its kind.

During Monday’s talks, the officials also discussed Russia’s provision of humanitarian aid to the North and the issue of trilateral cooperation among the two Koreas and Russia in the area of investment.

The Russia-North Korea economic cooperation committee last held a meeting in March 2007 in Moscow. The two countries were set to hold a fifth round of talks in May 2009 in Pyongyang, but Russia decided to indefinitely postpone the meeting after North Korea conducted a nuclear test.