Present there on invitation were Alexandr Matsegora, Russian ambassador to the DPRK, and staff members of his embassy.

Present there were Vice-Minister Kung Sok Ung and other officials of the Foreign Ministry.

Kung said that this year is a significant year marking the 15th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's official visit to the Russian Federation and adoption of the DPRK-Russia Moscow Declaration and the fifth anniversary of his visit to the Siberian and Far East Regions.

He hoped that the excellent tradition of friendship and good neighborliness would be given steady continuity and the bilateral relations be developed in a mutually beneficial and comprehensive manner in the interests of the people of the two countries in 2016, too.

Alexandr Matsegora said that lots of visits of high-ranking officials and large-scale events took place in the two countries last year, the year of the Russia-DPRK friendship.

Russia will as ever make positive efforts to develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the peoples of the two countries, he said, adding we will together overcome any difficulties lying in our way.

The participants talked about boosting the exchange and cooperation between the DPRK and Russia.