MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have been actively developing in recent years based on the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty and the chosen path of development, Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy Yury Ushakov told reporters.
"Relations between Russia and North Korea are friendly and good-neighborly. They have begun to develop very actively in recent years, but the most important thing is that they are developing on the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty, the chosen path of development, and taking into account the fundamental mutual interests," he said.
The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea will show Moscow's desire to conduct equal dialogue and cooperation with all countries, he added. "Our visit is clearly important for our bilateral relations, for their future development, but it also shows that Russia stands for an equal dialogue and is open to cooperation with all countries, especially with our closest neighbors, despite all attempts of collective The West to put pressure on us," Ushakov said.
According to Ushakov, the program of the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea promises to be very eventful. "On June 18-19, our President will pay a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This will be the second visit of the Russian head of state to Pyongyang in the entire history of our relations. The program is very intensive," he added.
The substantive part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to the North Korea is planned for June 19, both bilateral negotiations and a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un are planned, Ushakov noted. "This visit will formally take place over two days, but on June 18 the president will fly to Pyongyang late in the evening and the entire substantive part will take place on June 19," Ushakov said.
The leaders of Russia and North Korea Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un will discuss a wide range of topics. "This includes various areas of the economy, energy, transport, agriculture, interregional relations, security issues, issues of cooperation in the international arena, and so on," he said.