Dear Comrade Im Cheon Il, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK,
Dear colleagues - leading cadres and representatives of various ministries, departments and organizations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
Dear compatriots - diplomats and employees of the Russian Embassy in the DPRK,
Dear comrades and friends,
It gives me a special pleasure to welcome all of you today after a long break caused by the global coronavirus epidemic. I am glad to see you at the reception hosted by the Russian Embassy on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries.
On October 12, 1948, the Soviet Union was the first to recognize the young Korean state. Many years have passed, we have entered a new century, but having started the relationship of Russian-Korean friendship and all-round cooperation 74 years ago, having survived difficult trials, they continue to develop on new, no less solid foundations of mutual respect, consideration of each other's interests, common assessments of the situation in region and the world.
I hope that today's event will mark the beginning of a new important stage when we resume our regular meetings. The global health crisis has not yet been overcome, but thanks to the consistent policy of the leadership of the DPRK here in the People's Republic, this problem is being successfully solved, it is under control and has not reached such an acute level as it was in other countries. Therefore, I would like to believe that by joint efforts we will finally be able to begin the gradual restoration of ties in all areas of bilateral cooperation. We have many plans based on mutual interest in the development of Russian-Korean relations. We are talking about trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation that is beneficial to both sides, about relations based on deep mutual sympathy between the peoples of Russia and Korea in the field of culture, education, sports, youth exchanges, etc. The algorithm for the development of our relations was set by the leaders of the Russian Federation and the DPRK during the Vladivostok summit in April 2019.
We, employees of foreign policy, foreign economic and other departments, have the most important task of practical implementation of the agreements between the leaders of the two countries. This task is seriously complicated by the emerging international situation.
In Europe, the Ukrainian crisis provoked by the United States is blazing. It is obvious that there Russia, protecting the population of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, the South-East of Ukraine, opposes not only the nationalist regime of the Kyiv authorities, but also their masters in the face of the collective West. We are having a hard time: the NATO aggressors are pumping up their puppets with the latest types of weapons and conducting mass training of terrorists. But we are confident in our victory and will go to the end.
Here, in Northeast Asia, Washington is escalating tensions to the limit by forging military blocs, regularly holding large-scale military exercises with South Korea and Japan, including with the participation of an air strike group, deploying bombers here en masse, and building up its missile arsenal. . And when the DPRK takes retaliatory steps to protect its security, a hysterical propaganda campaign unfolds against the republic.
The United States, even having convinced itself a thousand times that People's Korea cannot be broken by sanctions, continues to stick to its manic sanctions line.
On most issues of contemporary international politics, Russia and DPR Korea share common positions.
We are sincerely grateful to our Korean friends for the support they give us in the multilateral forums. The fact that Pyongyang first recognized the independence of the republics of Donbass, and then supported the results of the referendum on the entry of the Lugansk People's Republic, Donetsk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions into Russia, arouses feelings of sincere gratitude and admiration among Russians - we are again convinced that the DPRK is holding a fair , an absolutely independent, sovereign foreign policy. Few people in the modern world, where Washington, literally twisting its arms, imposes an US-centric unipolarity on the international community, can afford it.
I would like to express confidence that Russia and the DPRK will overcome all the challenges they face and will strengthen mutual support on this difficult path in the interests of ensuring their own and regional security and stability, in the interests of a just world order based on the equal rights of all sovereign states.
Allow me to propose a toast to the 74th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, to the further development of friendship and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, to the good health of the leaders of our countries represented by Comrade Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation, to the health and success in the work of Comrade Im Cheon Il, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, to the health and success in the work of all comrades and friends present in this hall!
