▲ This Tass image shows Vladimir Yakushev, United Russia's secretary-general. (Yonhap)

N Korea-Russia

Russia's ruling party affirms support for N. Korea's measures to bolster defense capabilities: KCNA

SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Yonhap) -- Russia's ruling United Russia party on Thursday expressed "firm support" for measures taken by North Korea to bolster its defense capabilities in a joint statement with the regime's ruling party, the North's state media reported.

Ri Hi-yong, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Vladimir Yakushev, United Russia's secretary-general, signed the joint statement on behalf of their parties, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Both sides shared the views that "the mounting political and military tension on the Eurasian continent and the rest of the world is ... directly linked to the aggressive politics of the West ... to realize overall hegemonism," the joint statement said.

"In this regard, the United Russia Party expressed firm support for the measures taken by the leadership of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to bolster up the country's defense capabilities," it said.

The statement did not specify which measures it was referring to, but it appears to acknowledge North Korea's nuclear weapons development.

"Both sides reached a consensus ... on the common goal for jointly ... struggling against the forces disturbing peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, revival of fascism and Nazi ideas and neocolonialist acts persistently committed by the West," the statement said.

The North Korean party also expressed "full support" for the special military operations conducted by the Russian military, while the Russian party thanked the North Korean leadership for dispatching troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine, the KCNA also said.

Yakushev arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday morning, along with Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, to attend upcoming celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the North Korean party's establishment.

Russian reports said the joint statement was adopted following talks in Pyongyang between Medvedev, chief of the Russian party, and Jo Yong-won, secretary of the North Korean party.

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