calendar>>November 19. 2014 Juche 103

Choe Ryong Hae Meets Russian President

Moscow, November 18 (KCNA Correspondent) -- Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, met Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, at the Grand Kremlin Palace on Tuesday. Choe is on a visit to Russia as a special envoy of supreme leader Kim Jong Un.

Choe Ryong Hae conveyed greeting of Kim Jong Un to Putin.

Putin expressed deep thanks for this and asked Choe to convey his warm greeting.

Choe Ryong Hae courteously conveyed the personal letter of Kim Jong Un to Putin.

Putin expressed deep thanks to Kim Jong Un for sending his personal letter.

Recollecting with deep emotion his several meetings with leader Kim Jong Il, Putin said that Russia and the DPRK are close neighbors and have long-standing tradition of friendship and cooperation.

He expressed his sincere hope that everything would go well in the DPRK. It is important to positively explore the ways of boosting mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, he added.

Choe Ryong Hae talked about expanding and developing the bilateral friendly and cooperative relations onto a higher stage in the significant year, 2015.

Present there were Kim Kye Gwan, first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, No Kwang Chol, vice-chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, Kim Hyong Jun, DPRK ambassador to Russia, and Yuri Ushakov, aide to the president, and Igor Morgulov, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs.