MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Pyongyang and Moscow have strengthened strategic interaction aimed at ensuring security in Northeast Asia and in the world over the past few years, North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol told TASS in an exclusive interview.

Recalling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's historic visit to Russia and his summit with Vladimir Putin, the diplomat stressed that "the agreements reached during the meeting and summit talks served as a milestone in strengthening strategic interaction between the two countries to ensure peace and security in Northeast Asia and the world at large." "In the four years since the North Korea-Russia summit, the two countries have intensified high-level contacts and exchanges, deepened mutual understanding and trust and strengthened cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other fields as well as in the international arena," Sin Hong-chol pointed out.

The ambassador noted that during the meeting and talks, the leaders of the two countries agreed on concrete directions and measures to further deepen mutual understanding and trust, strengthen friendship, cooperation, and develop Korean-Russian friendship relations in the course of the new century. They also reached a consensus on current issues of bilateral cooperation.

"The leaders of the two countries unanimously assessed that the past meetings and talks were useful and important in terms of the sustainable and sound development of relations between the two countries, which have a deep history and tradition of friendship, and the strategic settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Sin Hong-chol emphasized.

"Thanks to the first historic visit of the President of the State Affairs of North Korea, Comrade Kim Jong-un, to Russia and the North Korea-Russia summit, a reliable foundation has been laid to develop and bring the friendly relations of a strategic and traditional nature between our two countries to a higher level in accordance with the requirements of the new era," the diplomat summarized.

The talks between Russian and North Korean leaders were held on April 25, 2019, on Russky Island in Vladivostok. The sides discussed the state and prospects of interstate relations, and examined in detail issues related to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The summit was the first personal meeting between Putin and Kim Jong-un. After the talks, Putin said that Kim Jong-un was an "interesting and informative interlocutor," and the North Korean leader described the exchange of views as "very informative".