A military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the state’s founding took place in Pyongyang. Putin spoke out in favor of strengthening relations.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of North Korea, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of closer cooperation with the East Asian country. The Kremlin on Saturday cited a message from Putin to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he was convinced that “thanks to our joint efforts” bilateral relations would be further strengthened “on all fronts”.
Strengthening ties will help ensure “the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,” Putin said. The Russian head of state emphasized the long-standing relations between the two countries, which “have always been based on the principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect”.
75 years since the founding of the state
North Korea held a military parade in the capital Pyongyang on Friday night to mark the founding of the state 75 years ago, which was also attended by high-ranking representatives from Russia and China. According to North Korean state media, it was mainly “paramilitary forces” and fewer regular army soldiers who took part. The rulers also did not present internationally sanctioned weapons, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, but rather, among other things, weapons pulled by tractors and trucks.
Kim, who attended the parade with her daughter, met with the Chinese delegation, which included Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, ahead of official celebrations. According to the state news agency KCNA, both sides announced that they intend to further deepen their “diverse” cooperation. According to Chinese state media, President Xi Jinping congratulated Kim in a telephone conversation.
Moscow and Pyongyang want to expand cooperation
There have been recent reports that Kim could travel to Vladivostok, Russia, in the next few days to meet Putin for arms deal talks. The New York Times reported that Kim could travel on an armored train to the Russian port city on the Pacific coast, about 700 kilometers away as the crow flies. The Eastern Economic Forum will take place there from Sunday until September 13. Kim and Putin met in Vladivostok in 2019.
Moscow and Pyongyang announced in mid-August that they would expand their cooperation and, among other things, cooperate more closely in the defense sector. Russia is one of the few countries that maintains contact with North Korea. North Korea supported Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine from the beginning. (APA)