North Korea will ‘stand by Moscow until victory’
North Korea will support Russia in the Ukraine conflict for as long as it takes, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has said, adding that Pyongyang has no doubts that Moscow will emerge victorious.
Speaking at a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Friday, Choe noted that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “gave us an order to firmly and powerfully support and assist the Russian army and the Russian people in their holy war.”
According to the minister, North Korea has no doubt that under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin “the Russian army and people will achieve a great victory in its struggle to protect its sovereign rights and security interests.” “We reaffirm that we will always adamantly stand by our Russian comrades until the victory day.”
She also remarked that Russia and North Korea are developing relations in all spheres, including defense, based on the landmark Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that Moscow and Pyongyang signed in June. The two countries are now embarking on the mission of “further coordinating our foreign policy position… and advance our interactions even further in all areas, as well as jointly and effectively responding to all international issues on all international platforms,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lavrov also touted the bilateral relations, saying they had reached “an unprecedentedly high level.” He thanked Pyongyang for a “principled stance on the events in Ukraine,” which he said were the result of NATO expansion and a campaign to encourage Kiev to “wipe out everything Russian” in the country.
The North Korea-Russia treaty, which was ratified by Russian MPs last week, stipulates that if one side is invaded, the other “shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay.”
Ukraine and Western countries have accused North Korea of sending troops to Russia and are concerned that they may eventually join the conflict. North Korea has denied the allegations, saying they are an attempt to tarnish Pyongyang’s image. Russian President Vladimir Putin has neither confirmed nor denied the claims, adding that the details of the cooperation between the two countries are nobody’s business.
