N. Korean Embassy in Russia holds banquet marking 77th anniv. of diplomatic ties
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, at the podium, delivers a speech at a reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in North Korea on Oct. 16, to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the North and Russia, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap
The North Korean Embassy in Russia has held a banquet marking the 77th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, with a Russian official lauding their relations as having reached a new level of alliance, the North's main newspaper reported Tuesday.
The banquet took place last Friday to mark the Oct. 12 anniversary, attended by officials from Russia's foreign, defense and industrial ministries, as well as from United Russia, the biggest party in Russia, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.
North Korea forged diplomatic relations with the then Soviet Union in 1948.
A Russian vice foreign minister, delivering a speech during Friday's gathering, said the Russia-North Korea friendship has reached "a new level of alliance" in terms of quality through the test of several decades, the newspaper said.
North Korea's deployment of its troops to Russia's Kursk region has firmly demonstrated the two countries' solidarity, the vice minister also said, expressing confidence that bilateral ties will continue to expand and contribute to stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.
Sin Hong-chol, North Korea's ambassador to Russia, also reaffirmed efforts to advance ties with Moscow, noting the two countries are marching toward their common ideals and goals through mutual cooperation in regional and international issues.
The Russian Embassy in North Korea also held a separate reception in Pyongyang last week to celebrate the anniversary, where North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui pledged to strengthen Pyongyang's strategic and tactical cooperation with Moscow.