Russian upper parliament house ready to organize visit of its speaker to North Korea - Russian lawmaker

MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Russian lawmakers stand for closer cooperation with North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly /legislature/ and are ready to organize a visit to Pyongyang by speaker of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house Valentina Matviyenko, Federation Council deputy speaker Yevgeny Bushmin said on Thursday. Bushmin attended a reception at the North Korean embassy in Moscow on the occasion of the 73rd birth anniversary of Kim Jong Il. The date of Matviyenko’s possible visit will be agreed through diplomatic channels, he said, adding that this year, North Korean Supreme People’s Assembly Chairman Choe Thae-bok will visit Moscow. "Inter-parliamentary ties between Russia and North Korea are on the rise and are playing a major role in the development of bilateral relations," Bushmin said. "I am confident that successful implementation of joint plans of cooperation in practically all areas will not only be beneficial for our countries and peoples, but will become a major factor of maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeastern Asia in general." North Korea’s Ambassador to Russia Kim Hyung-joon, in turn, reminded that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War and the 70th anniversary of liberation of Korea. "For the first time in the entire history of bilateral relations, we will hold a joint Year of Friendship between North Korea and Russia," he said. "We will expand and develop Russia-Korean relations at a new level in the political, economic, military and other fields being guided by common understanding reached by the leaders of our countries and the spirit of the interstate treaty." Read more