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| Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping / EPA-Yonhap |
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed efforts to advance relations with North Korea in messages sent to leader Kim Jong-un to congratulate him on his country's 73rd founding anniversary Thursday, Pyongyang's state media reported.
"I and Comrade General Secretary have maintained close communication and led the bilateral relations for them to develop in a stable way and, thus steadily made good success, which further enriched the traditional bilateral friendship," Xi was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency.
"I highly value the development of the China-DPRK relations and intend to develop these ties of friendship and cooperation on a long-term basis and in a stable way," he added, using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
![North Korea celebrates 73rd anniversary of its founding [PHOTOS]](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/efc98cb6ce7d42d48b5227986e73ca38.jpg/dims/resize/84/optimize)
The KCNA said Putin also sent a congratulatory message to Kim and expressed hope to advance their bilateral relations "based on the good traditions of friendship and mutual respect."
"Expressing belief that both countries would further develop constructive bilateral dialogue and cooperation in various aspects by their concerted efforts, the message noted it would doubtless meet the interests of the two peoples and contribute to promoting security and stability in the Korean peninsula and the whole Northeast Asian region," the KCNA said.
North Korea has strengthened relations with other socialist countries, including China and Russia, amid a prolonged stalemate in denuclearization talks with the United States and crippling global sanctions on its economy. (Yonhap)
