IANS | 19 Jul, 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has discussed the "importance and
necessity" of military cooperation with Russia's Vice Defence Minister,
state media reported Friday, amid Pyongyang's deepening military alignment with
Moscow.
Kim met with a Russian military delegation, headed by Aleksey
Krivoruchko in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News
Agency (KCNA).
He has become the first known ranking Russian military official to visit
North Korea since Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first trip to
Pyongyang in 24 years for summit talks with the North's leader last month,
Yonhap news agency reported.
"The talk shared recognition of the importance and necessity of the
military cooperation between the two countries to defend mutual security
interests," the KCNA said.
Kim also expressed his firm support and solidarity for Russia's war with
Ukraine and stressed the need for the militaries of the two countries to
"get united more firmly" to develop bilateral relations, according to
the KCNA.
The latest visit by Krivoruchko appears to be a follow-up to the
Kim-Putin summit.
After the talks, Kim and Putin signed a new partnership treaty that
calls for the two nations to offer military assistance "without
delay" if either comes under attack.
North Korea has been accused of supplying artillery rounds and munitions
to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine in return for Moscow's suspected
transfer of high-tech weapons technology. Both nations have denied such arms
deals.
But following the summit talks, North Korea seems to be no longer
concealing its military ties with Russia, given that Kim explicitly mentioned
"military cooperation" between the two nations.