MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russia attaches great importance to the North Korean delegation’s visit to Moscow and is set to continue constructive dialogue and joint cooperation, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told a meeting with Speaker of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (parliament) Pak Thae-song.
"We believe that your visit to Russia confirms serious determination of the North Korean leadership to promote cooperation with Russia. For my part, I want to highlight that our country has the same determination to continue constructive dialogue and close joint work for the sake of our countries and our people," Matviyenko said.
According to Matviyenko, the North Korean parliament speaker is known in Russia as a prominent statesman and a person who has made a great contribution to developing bilateral relations as well as to strengthening friendship between the two nations.
"We attach great importance to your visit to Russia. We believe that it will serve not only to enhance Russian-North Korean parliamentary cooperation but will also enable us to boost cooperation between our states in various spheres," she said.
Russia’s upper house speaker also voiced hope that a rich program prepared for the delegation would "contribute to better understanding of processes happening in Russia" and will also familiarize it with the country’s culture and history.
Matviyenko noted that Russian lawmakers cherish good memories about their last year’s visit to North Korea as well as the meeting with the country’s leader. "It was a very interesting and very substantive conversation," she stated.
The North Korean delegation led by the chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly arrived in Russia on Monday at Matviyenko’s invitation.