MOSCOW: The North Korean minister arrived in Moscow on October 30 and last Friday already held talks with Lavrov, at which she announced Kim Jong-un's instructions to provide assistance to the Russian army. Putin received her in the Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Song-hee in the Kremlin, the press service of the head of state reports.
A Kremlin-released video from the meeting shows Choi Song-hee thanking the president for the meeting and conveying to him "warm, friendly greetings from Kim Jong-un."
In response, Putin recalled that today is a holiday in Russia, "and meeting him with friends is a very good tradition." He also conveyed greetings in return to the North Korean leader.
The North Korean minister arrived in Moscow on October 30 and last Friday already held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Then, in particular, she announced Kim Jong-un's instructions to provide assistance to the Russian army.
"From the very beginning of the special military operation, dear Comrade Chairman of State Affairs Kim Jong-un gave instructions that we, without looking back at anyone, invariably and powerfully support and assist the Russian army and the Russian people in their holy war. <...> Until the victorious day, we will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades"," she said.
Lavrov, in turn, announced that relations had reached an unprecedented new level. "The partnership really has a strategic character, including in terms of the intensity of the political dialogue," he said.
In June, the leaders of Russia and North Korea, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement. Article 4 of this agreement stipulates that "if one of the parties finds itself in a state of war due to an armed attack by one or more States, the other party will immediately provide military assistance to it with all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of the DPRK and the Russian Federation." The State Duma ratified the treaty on October 24.
In the same month, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence began to report first on the planned and then on the actual transfer of North Korean troops to Russia to participate in a military special operation. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang confirmed the data on the transfer of troops. Putin, commenting on the South Korean intelligence data, said that "[satellite] images are a serious thing" and if they exist, "it means they reflect something." He also recalled Article 4 of the treaty between Russia and the DPRK and noted that Moscow "has never doubted that the leadership of North Korea takes the agreements seriously."
Earlier it was reported about the official visit of the DPRK Foreign Minister to Moscow. The trip takes place within the framework of a strategic dialogue, the course of which Putin and Kim Jong-un will analyze during the June 2024 summit.
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