Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands before their talks in Vladivostok. Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko/Reuters
Cape Town: In a congratulatory telegram to North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to strengthen the Moscow-Pyongyang bilateral relationship.
Putin’s letter to his North Korean counterpart was on the occasion of Korea’s liberation day on August 15, in which Putin wished North Koreans good health, happiness and prosperity, according to Sputnik News Agency.
In a bid to ensure closer ties that would enable stability on the Korean peninsula, Putin said the two nations “will expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with common efforts”.
Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim later responded to the telegram, saying the strategic and tactical co-operation between the two countries would move to a new level.
He added that the Moscow-Pyongyang relationship, which started during the fight against a “common enemy” in the war against Japan, had strengthened over the years, paving the way for a new level of support and tactical co-operation between the two nations’ military threats and provocations.
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