Russian intelligence chief visits North Korea for security talks: Pyongyang
The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has visited North Korea for security talks, Pyongyang says, as the two historical allies have been boosting their ties since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Sergei Naryshkin paid a visit to the peninsular country earlier this week to discuss security cooperation, both North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the SVR reported on Thursday.
According to KCNA which first reported the visit, Naryshkin met with North Korea’s State Security Minister Ri Chang Dae during his visit on March 25-27, when the pair discussed enhancing cooperation “to cope with the ever-growing spying and plotting moves by the hostile forces.”
“The two sides reached a complete consensus of views on the issues on the table at the two talks that proceeded in a comradely and amicable atmosphere,” it said.
The visit came at a time when both countries are under waves of harsh sanctions from the West, Russia for the war in Ukraine and North Korea for its testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
“They discussed topical issues of the development of the international situation, ensuring regional security, and deepening Russian-North Korean cooperation in the face of attempts to increase pressure from external forces,” the SVR was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency TASS.
Back in September 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a summit in Russia’s Far East, during which the North’s leader declared that ties with Moscow were Pyongyang’s “number one priority.”
North Korea has backed Russia over the war in Ukraine, saying the “hegemonic policy” of NATO forced Moscow to take military action to protect its national security interests.
The United States, in turn, has accused Pyongyang of providing arms to Russia to help combat the West-supplied Ukrainian forces. North Korea and Russia have, however, dismissed US claims as part of its usual publicity campaign against unfriendly countries.
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