MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Moscow is grateful to Pyongyang for its unconditional support of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, said Ivan Zhelokhovtsev, head of the First Department of Asia at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He made the statement at a reception on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the visit to Russia by Kim Jong Un, the president of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

"We are especially grateful to Comrade Kim Jong Un and the entire Korean people for their unconditional support of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and their faith in our victory over the common enemy," the diplomat said.

He also said that the agreements that were reached during the DPRK leader's visit to Russia represent "evidence of the mutual desire of the sides to consistently implement and expand the rich heritage" that was passed down from previous generations.

"The traditional relations of fraternal friendship and comprehensive cooperation between our countries have reached an unprecedented high level and continue to develop on the basis of the agreements that were reached during the meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in September 2023," the diplomat continued. "Our common main task now is to fulfill everything that the leaders agreed upon. I am confident that we will succeed."

"In the conditions of major geopolitical changes that have swept the whole world, our countries, as before, shoulder to shoulder, defend the principles of international relations that are enshrined in the UN Charter, jointly fight for a just international order, against the dictate and arbitrary decisions of imperialist and hegemonic forces," Zhelokhovtsev said.