Moscow: The North Korean Embassy in Russia has organized a banquet to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations. A Russian official praised the current state of relations, marking them as having reached a new level of alliance, as reported by North Korea’s main newspaper on Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the banquet took place last Friday to commemorate the October 12 anniversary. The event was attended by officials from Russia’s foreign, defense, and industrial ministries, along with representatives from United Russia, the largest political party in Russia, as mentioned by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

Diplomatic relations between North Korea and the then Soviet Union were established in 1948. During the gathering, a Russian vice foreign minister highlighted that the Russia-North Korea friendship has achieved “a new level of alliance” in quality, tested over several decades. The minister also mentioned North Korea’s deployment of its troops to Russia’s Kursk region as a demonstration of the two countries’ solidarity. He expressed confidence that the bilateral ties would continue to expand, contributing to stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

Sin Hong-chol, North Korea’s ambassador to Russia, emphasized efforts to further advance ties with Moscow. He noted that the two countries are progressing toward common ideals and goals through mutual cooperation on regional and international issues.

Additionally, the Russian Embassy in North Korea hosted a separate reception in Pyongyang last week to honor the anniversary. During this event, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui committed to strengthening Pyongyang’s strategic and tactical cooperation with Moscow.