Moscow-Pyongyang relations at record high — Lavrov

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have reached record high levels in the past few years, thanks to the two leaders’ efforts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in opening remarks at talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui.

"Over the past few years, bilateral relations between our countries have reached a record high point, owing to the special attention paid by President [Vladimir] Putin and Chairman of State Affairs [of North Korea] Kim Jong Un to these relations," Lavrov said.

Dialogue between the two countries was propelled to a brand-new level following the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty at a historic summit in Pyongyang, the Russian foreign minister said. "The partnership is essentially strategic indeed, including in terms of how intensive the political dialogue has been," Lavrov continued. He described the June summit as a "very important stage," preceded by what he termed "a very significant visit" by North Korea’s Kim at the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East last year.

"And, according to my calculations, this is our sixth meeting in the past one year," Lavrov told the North Korean foreign minister.