▲ North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 19, 2026, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on July 21. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow and agreed to accelerate cooperation between the two countries, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a joint statement on what it called "the third strategic dialogue" between the two top diplomats, which was held the previous day.

The talks centered on "the implementation of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, high-level visits, the plan for multi-faceted cooperation and diplomatic coordination on major international issues of mutual concern," the statement said, adding the two sides "reached a consensus on all the issues brought up for discussion."

They reaffirmed their commitment to accelerate "the long-term multi-faceted development of the bilateral relations, irrespective of the changing situation, under the strategic guidance at the highest level."

Pyongyang and Moscow have been deepening their ties since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty in June 2024.

The statement described the meeting as "a significant occasion for further accelerating the comprehensive expansion and development of the bilateral relations and making positive contributions to ensuring regional and global peace and security in conformity with the spirit of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership."

Russia voiced "full support" for North Korea's efforts to defend its sovereignty against what it called "hostile" threats. North Korea, in turn, expressed "invariable support for all the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice from the imperialist moves for hegemony."

Choe arrived in Moscow on Friday at Lavrov's invitation and met Putin in the Kremlin on Sunday, according to another KCNA dispatch Tuesday.

"The meeting reaffirmed the will to further strengthen the relations of alliance in the spirit of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries," the report said, adding the two also held "beneficial talks on expanding and developing bilateral exchange and cooperation in various fields."

With no major anniversary or diplomatic milestone between the two countries on the calendar, speculation has arisen that Choe is visiting Moscow to coordinate Kim's potential trip to Russia. Putin invited Kim to visit Moscow for summit talks when the two leaders met in June 2024.

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