Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sent a congratulatory message to North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on the occasion of the 81st Liberation Day, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

In the message sent on the 14th, Minister Lavrov emphasized that they would "steadily advance along the route outlined by the leaders of the two countries to comprehensively strengthen North Korea-Russia cooperation."

Drawing attention to the historical ties between the two nations, Minister Lavrov stated in the message, "In 1945, Red Army soldiers of the Soviet Union and patriots of Korea crushed Japanese militarism, putting an end to years of Japanese colonial rule and accelerating the conclusion of World War II."

He then highlighted the contributions of the deployed North Korean troops, noting that "the participation of Korean People's Army soldiers in operations to expel the Ukrainian Nazi clique and foreign mercenaries from the Kursk land is a clear demonstration of the tradition of militant friendship forged by the heroic older generation."

Minister Lavrov claimed, "Today, Moscow and Pyongyang are fighting on the same front to establish a new and just world order based on multipolarity, true equality, and national interests," adding that "this aligns with the welfare of the peoples of both countries and will contribute to regional and international security."

It was previously reported that the leaders of both countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, also exchanged congratulatory messages this year to mark Liberation Day.

North Korea and Russia have grown into close "blood allies" since signing the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during a summit in June 2024, followed by North Korea's deployment of combat and engineer troops to the war in Ukraine starting in October of that year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)