BEIJING, November 1. /TASS/. Russia and North Korea, as two sovereign countries, have the right to decide how to develop bilateral relations as they please, stated Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian at a briefing, commenting on the alleged presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

"Russia and North Korea are two independent and sovereign states and how these two countries develop their bilateral relations is solely up to them," said the official representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, adding that "China is not aware of the specific situation in bilateral exchanges and cooperation" between Moscow and Pyongyang.

He also recalled China's position on resolving the Ukrainian crisis, that being immediate de-escalation and a diplomatic settlement of the conflict.

Commenting on the "satellite images" published by Seoul the other day, which allegedly indicate the presence of military personnel from North Korea in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin called this "a serious matter." However, he shot back by saying that NATO military personnel have long been directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin pointed out that the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang has a clause on joint defense. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on October 30 that there is nothing special or unusual about Moscow and Pyongyang’s strategic alliance, despite attempts by the West to demonize it. She mentioned that those who are committed to peaceful cooperation with Moscow have nothing to worry about at all. The first secretary of the Permanent Mission of North Korea to the United Nations, Il Ha Kim, earlier called the US allegations about the presence of the Korean People's Army in Russia "dirty maneuvers" meant to disguise their crimes and provoke a prolongation of the Ukrainian crisis.