PYONGYANG. July 3 (Interfax) - The interaction between the Russian and North Korean defense ministries has been stepped up lately, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin aid at his meeting with North Korean Vice Minister of the People's Armed Forces Col. Gen. Kim Hyong Ryong on Wednesday.
He underlined the importance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vladivostok on April 25, 2019.
"Contacts maintained at the summit level give an additional impetus to the development of bilateral relations in a variety of areas, including military cooperation. We can see that interagency cooperation has intensified lately, including at the high level," Fomin said.
He mentioned the attendance of the Moscow Conference on International Security by North Korean Minister of the People's Armed Forces No Kwang Chol and his meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the forum's sidelines on April 24, 2019.
Fomin assured Kim that Russia values friendly and neighborly relations with North Korea and noted that the two countries jointly observed the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2018.
Fomin thanked Kim and the North Korean military-political administration for the invitation to visit Pyongyang.