Relations with Russia are the first priority for North Korea, the country's leader Kim Jong Un said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
“Our friendship has deep roots, and now our country’s first priority is relations with the Russian Federation,” Kim Jong-un said at a meeting with Putin at the Vostochny Spaceport.
The North Korean leader thanked the Russian president for the invitation to Russia, adding that the visit is taking place "at a very important period."
"We want to further develop ties [with Russia]. We have always supported all the decisions by President Putin and decisions by the Russian government," Kim stated.
Kim also expressed confidence that that the meeting will raise bilateral relations between Moscow and Pyongyang to a new level. He added that North Korea would always be together with Russia in the fight against "imperialism."
The Russian president, in his turn, thanked the North Korean leader for coming to Russia, pointing out that the sides need to discuss economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, situation in the region.
"Dear Chairman. I am very happy to see you again and host you in Russia. This time we're meeting, as I promised, at our new spaceport, the Vostochny Spaceport," Putin said.
Putin has noted that the meeting is taking place at a special time, as the two countries mark 75 years of establishing diplomatic relations and North Korea has recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding, reminding that Russia was the first to recognize the Asian state.
Prior to the meeting, Kim Jong Un said that his visit to Russia is a "clear manifestation" of the North Korean leadership of "prioritizing the strategic importance" of the Moscow-Pyongyang relations, North's state-run news agency KCNA reported.
The importance of the meeting between the two leaders was highlighted by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
"Of course, bilateral contacts are very important against this background [of global geopolitical changes]. And the situation on the Korean peninsula is certainly of the utmost importance for security and stability in the region," Zakharova said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW