Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has arrived in North Korea leading a military delegation, joining a high level Chinese delegation to attend the country’s Victory Day events marking the end of the Korean War and hold talks on expanding defense ties.
“This visit will contribute to strengthening Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important stage in the development of co-operation between the two countries,” the Russian defense ministry declared on Tuesday in a post on its official Telegram channel.
The Russian delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday evening, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), and is joining the Chinese delegation headed by Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong.
A red banner with a sign saying, “Welcome, Comrade Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu!” in Korean and Russian stood behind a line of saluting soldiers.
The anniversary events come at a time of heightened tensions in the region amid increasing US-led war games with South Korean and Japanese troops in the region and North Korea’s retaliatory weapons tests.
The anniversary events are expected to include a major military parade in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.
