The Russian ambassador to the DPRK hosted a reception at the Taedonggang Diplomatic Club in Pyongyang on October 11 on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Russia.

Present there at invitation were Choe Son Hui, foreign minister of the DPRK, and officials concerned.

Staff members of the Russian embassy were on hand.

Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora made a speech at the reception.

Noting that the two countries celebrate the day of the establishment of diplomatic ties as their common holiday every year and the anniversary of this year was decorated with special colours, he referred to the fact that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, signed the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership on June 19.

The treaty put on the highest level of partnership the strategic and tactical consultations and cooperative relations between the two countries which are developing successfully on the basis of the principled agreements reached by the top leaders of the two countries at previous summit talks and lent great impetus to the development of the bilateral relations, he noted.

We are witnessing how rapidly the Russia-DPRK cooperation is developing in several fields, he said, adding that one of the main purposes of the treaty is to pool efforts to continuously improve the people's well-being and that the treaty provides conditions for rapid development of bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, public health, sci-tech, agriculture and so on.

Then DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made a speech.

The traditional DPRK-Russia friendly relations have greeted a new heyday thanks to the sincerest comradely relations between the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and the respected President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, she said, adding that the three DPRK-Russia summit meetings marked a historic event which clearly proved the truthfulness of friendship and unity between the two countries and developed the DPRK-Russia relations into comprehensive strategic partnership and invincible relations of comrades-in-arms.

It is the consistent stand of the DPRK to closely boost support and solidarity with the Russian Federation in every field on the basis of the new inter-state treaty and achieve the lasting development of the invincible DPRK-Russia friendly relations, true to the high intention of the top leaders of the two countries, she said.

She expressed belief that the Russian army and people would unite around President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin as one and surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the sovereign right and security of the country and building an independent multi-polar world.

The participants toasted the health of Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the health of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and the steady development of the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries and the comprehensive strategic partnership.