Kim Jong Il played significant role in developing Russia-DPRK cooperation - Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Dec 15 (Interfax) - Kim Jong Il has played a significant role in developing and strengthening the relations of friendship and neighborliness between Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"Thanks, in particular, to his personal attention the legal base of bilateral cooperation has been significantly strengthened, important agreements in various spheres have been achieved, and practical ties and interaction have been built up on a large range of issues," Director of the First Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Georgy Zinovyev said at a solemn reception dedicated to the 10th anniversary since the death of Kim Jong Il in Moscow on Wednesday.

"The historical meeting between Kim Jong Il and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in July 2000 laid a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations in the new century," he said.

"The three following visits of the DPRK leader to Russia solidified the course at deepening close interaction between the two countries, including on the international arena," he said.

The visit of Kim Jong Un to Russia and his negotiations with Putin in 2019 "confirmed the continuity of the political line of the North Korean leadership towards strengthening interaction with Russia," Zinovyev said.

"Joint efforts to strengthen kind and mutually respectful relations between the two countries and the peoples of Russia and the DPRK" will serve the best to commemorate Kim Jong Il, he said.

In turn, North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong Chol said that Pyongyang aims to develop bilateral relations with Russia at a higher level.

"The last visit of Kim Jon Il to Russia's Siberian and Far Eastern regions [in 2011] was a noticeable event that brought friendly relations of our two countries to a new higher level," he said.

"The position of our party and the government, which is to develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation with Russia at a higher level through the gradual implementation of agreements reached at the historical meeting of the supreme leaders of our two countries, has remained invariable," Sin said.

"We are certain that thanks to joint efforts of the peoples of the our two countries the history and traditions of friendship between the DPRK and Russia will invariably continue in the future," he said.