N. Korean FM: strategic value of ties with Russia gains greater importance in severe int'l landscape

North Korea's foreign minister, currently visiting Russia for talks, said the strategic value of her country's relations with Russia holds greater importance in the severe international political landscape, the country's state media reported Saturday.

Choe Son-hui made the remarks during her speech at a ceremony unveiling a plaque honoring North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's first official visit to the former Soviet Union, held at Moscow's Yaroslavl Railway Station the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

It was the KCNA's first coverage of Choe's ongoing visit to Russia.

Choe said that thanks to the close relations between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, "the strategic value and significance of the DPRK-Russia relations are given greater importance in the severe international political landscape." DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The North Korean official also expressed the "belief" that Russia, courageously engaging in the "just" struggle for establishing a new international order, "would achieve a victory without fail" in its war against Ukraine, pledging support for the neighboring country.

"The great friendship and unity" built between North Korea and Russia to attain the common objective "would be firmly carried forward and developed along with the new era of overall efflorescence," she said.

The KCNA report quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who attended the ceremony, as saying in his speech that the cooperative relations between the two nations are accelerating to a new high across all fields.

Lavrov referred to a recently signed treaty between their two nations pledging mutual defense, stating that "the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership ... has already entered the phase of practical implementation."

Choe has been in Russia on an official visit since Tuesday, as the North is confirmed to have dispatched troops to Russia for potential engagement in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The previous day, Choe held talks with Lavrov, stating that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula requires Pyongyang to make efforts to bolster its readiness against nuclear retaliation.