Seoul, Aug 17 The leader of Russia's Communist Party has hailed North Korean troops deployed in Moscow's conflict against Ukraine in a letter sent to the North's leader Kim Jong-un, according to the North's state media Sunday.
Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov, Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation's Central Committee, sent his letter to Kim to mark the anniversary, according to North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Yonhap News Agency reported.
In the letter, Zyuganov said he has taken note of North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine, stating that their bilateral ties "will continue to grow stronger in all aspects".
Zyuganov also thanked Kim for sending North Korean troops to fight in the Kursk front-line region, saying the North's troops helped Russia "liberate" the area, according to the KCNA.
"The Communist Party of the Russian Federation expresses its sincere thanks to you for helping liberate Kursk Region," Zyuganov told Kim in the letter, the KCNA reported.
"Russia will never forget the feats of the heroic DPRK soldiers who shed their blood for the just world and the common freedom of the two countries," it said. DPRK is the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Days before US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit in Alaska, the Russian leader briefed Kim on his planned meeting with Trump during a phone call.
Their call was yet another sign that Pyongyang and Moscow have been maintaining close military and diplomatic cooperation in line with the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty that the leaders signed during a summit in Pyongyang in June last year.
North Korea and Russia have displayed signs of solid military cooperation in recent days in the wake of the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, with Kim sending a letter to the Russian President that bilateral relations have reached "full bloom".
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