Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, hosted a banquet on Wednesday evening in welcome of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's visit to the DPRK.

Present there on invitation were Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Nobak, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and President's Press Secretary Dmitri Peskov, Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov, Minister of Defense Andrei Beloussov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology and Chairman of the Russian side to the Russia-DPRK Inter-governmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology Alexandr Kozlov, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashuko and Minister of Transport Roman Starovoyt, other entourage members and Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Alexandr Matsegora and staff members of his embassy.

On hand were Kim Tok Hun, vice-president of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and premier of the Cabinet, Choe Ryong Hae, first vice-president of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, secretaries of the Central Committee of the WPK and other senior officials of the Party, the government and the military.

When Kim Jong Un appeared at the banquet hall together with Putin, all the participants welcomed with enthusiastic applause the top leaders of the two countries who are ushering in a new heyday of the DPRK-Russia friendship with their rare wisdom and outstanding leadership.

Kim Jong Un made a speech in welcome of Vladimir Putin's visit to the DPRK.

Warmly welcoming President Putin, who visited Pyongyang, the capital city of the DPRK, again as he did 24 years ago when greeting a new millennium, and all other Russian friends, he extended his profound respect and warm fraternal greetings to the Russian government and people on behalf of the DPRK government and people.

He expressed his excitement of sharing the table at the banquet welcoming Putin, the highest honoured state guest of the Korean people, on the historic day when the great event of concluding the most powerful and comprehensive new inter-state treaty took place in the DPRK-Russia friendly relations.

He expressed once again his heartfelt thanks to Putin for fully showing in practice his will to write a new history of the DPRK-Russia relations and guarantee the eternal well-being of the peoples in the two countries and their future for the next one hundred years, saying that today's great event witnessed in the development course of the DPRK-Russia relations is the brilliant fruit of President Putin's decision, efforts and meticulous care.

Saying that it is the greatest pride and honor of the DPRK to have a powerful state like Russia as a strategic partner and an ally, he clarified the invariable stand of the DPRK government to permanently develop the invincible DPRK-Russia friendly relations while strongly supporting and cooperating in various fields with the Russian Federation in an all-round way on the basis of a new inter-state treaty.

Kim Jong Un proposed a toast to the good health of the respected Comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, ceaseless prosperity of Russia, the most friendly neighbor, the immortality of the invincible DPRK-Russia friendly relations to be envied by the world and the health of all comrades and friends present at the banquet.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin made a reply address.

He expressed once again his sincere thanks to Comrade Kim Jong Un and all other friends of the DPRK for inviting him to pay a state visit to the excellent DPRK.

Saying that he was deeply impressed by the kind banquet, he said that the talks confirmed the mutual interest to further develop equal and reciprocal cooperation.

Recalling that the two countries have steadily strengthened the ties of comradely relations, fraternal support and good-neighborly cooperation, on the basis of the glorious traditions provided by the preceding generations, under the unstable world situation, he stressed that the two countries are proactively cooperating with each other in the international arena to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the rest of the world and jointly struggling against the hegemony and neo-colonialist practices of the U.S. and its vassal forces and the attempts to impose the development model and view of value that have nothing to do with the two countries.

Citing a saying common to Russia and the DPRK "a good neighbor is better than a brother far off", he said that such public wisdom reflects the character of the relations between the two countries.

Putin proposed a toast to further strengthening of friendship and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, the well-being and prosperity of the peoples of the two countries and the good health of Comrade Kim Jong Un , president of the State Affairs, and the friends of the DPRK present at the banquet.

The banquet proceeded in an amicable atmosphere overflowing with friendly feelings. -0-

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