NKorea calls for better ties with Russia

The call came in a letter of greeting Kim sent to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to mark Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule and the end of the Second World War.“I extend greetings to you and the Russian people and express belief that the relations between the DPRK (North Korea) and the Russian Federation will develop in the interests of the peoples of the two countries,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying in the letter.In his own letter, Medvedev wished for the “good health and happiness” of Kim, who reportedly suffered a stroke a year ago.

“We appreciate the fact that the DPRK sets store by the memory of the soldiers of the Soviet Army who laid down their lives in the battles for crushing Japanese militarism in the Far East,” he said.

Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, supported a UN resolution in June condemning North Korea’s second atomic test on May 25.Russia has diplomatic ties with both Koreas.

-AFP