Russia, North Korea to mark 20th anniversary of Putin’s Pyongyang visit - envoy

MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. Russia and North Korea will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang as fits the occasion when coronavirus restrictions are lifted, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said Monday in an open interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman. "We were getting ready to mark this occasion on a large scale, we had delegation visits planned as well as tours of our artist groups, we also wanted to hold a lot of other events to mark this anniversary. However, coronavirus unfortunately affected this as well, we will be limited by what we can do only," he noted. "Of course, we will issue a relevant press release and will send it to all Korean agencies. [Our] Korean friends, as far as I know, are going to commemorate this visit in mass media and broadcast reports about it on TV. But I can assure you that we will not forget this date when the coronavirus [pandemic] ends, we will definitely celebrate it with the Korean friends as fits the occasion," the ambassador stressed. According to the diplomat, the ties between Russia and North Korea are based on principles set out in the declaration signed by the two leaders at a summit in July 2020. Matsegora recalled that this was the first visit of a Russian leader to Pyongyang in history. "It is not an exaggeration to say that the leader’s meeting in July 2020 turned a new page in our relations. Before that, our policy on the Korean Peninsula had been focused on the South for a couple of years, much to the detriment of our ties with the North, I must acknowledge," the envoy emphasized. "After we had a very warm, substantial and friendly conversation between the leaders of North Korea and Russia here, this issue was resolved and our Korean Peninsula policy balanced itself out, living up to Russia’s national interests." Read more