MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Moscow intends to boost relations with Pyongyang in all areas, including sensitive ones, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Tuesday meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui was focused on the development of cooperation between the two countries. "The parties discussed bilateral relations in general, as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula. There was an exchange of views on the most pressing international issues but the focus was on the development of bilateral relations," the Kremlin spokesman pointed out.

"We have repeatedly said - and I am ready to reiterate it - that North Korea is an important partner for us and we intend to boost relations in all areas, including sensitive ones," Peskov noted, when asked whether the parties had discussed defense cooperation.

Putin received Choe Son Hui and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday night. The two top diplomats briefed the Russian president on the agreements they had reached earlier that day. Lavrov pointed out that Moscow highly appreciated Pyongyang’s support in terms of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and expected fruitful cooperation between the two countries within the UN and other multilateral organizations to continue. According to the top Russian diplomat, Tuesday’s talks made it possible for the parties to assess the preliminary outcome of the work aimed at implementing the agreements that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached at their meeting in Russia’s Far East in September.