Grand Joint Banquet Given on Occasion of 60th Anniv. of Korea's Liberation
Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)
Pyongyang, August 15 (KCNA) -- A grand joint banquet was co-hosted by the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian embassy here Monday evening on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Korea's liberation. Present there was Kim Jong Il, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK.
Also present there were Pak Pong Ju, premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Yang Gon, councillor of the NDC of the DPRK, Kim Yong Sam, minister of Railways, KPA Generals Ri Myong Su, Hyon Chol Hae and Pak Jae Gyong, and Kim Kye Gwan, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials concerned.
Among those present were Konstantin Borisovich Pulikovski, presidential envoy to the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation, and his party, a delegation of the Russian veteran law-makers headed by Vasilii Klyuchenok, first vice-chairman of the Defence and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council, on a visit to the DPRK, Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Andrei Karlov and embassy officials, Mira Koltsova, head of the Russian Beryozka Dancing Troupe, and leading members and principal actors and actresses of the dancing troupe.
When Kim Jong Il appeared in the venue of the banquet together with the presidential envoy to the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation and the Russian ambassador, all the participants welcomed them with enthusiastic applause. Pak Pong Ju in a toast said: 60 years ago President Kim Il Sung led the unprecedented arduous anti-Japanese war to victory and achieved the cause of Korea's liberation. This was a historic event as it regained the dignity and sovereignty of the nation and ushered in a new era of prosperity for Korea and its people.
On this historic day we remember with deep emotion the feats performed by the officers and men of the Soviet army who dedicated their precious blood and lives together with the Korean anti-Japanese forerunners in the bloody battles fought for the liberation of Korea.
The DPRK-Russia friendly ties forged in the joint struggle against Japanese imperialism have steadily developed throughout the long history and they have developed more favorably under the deep care of the top leaders of the two countries, in particular. It is the consistent stand of the DPRK to continue to boost the relations with Russia as intended by the top leaders of the two countries and in the spirit of the state treaty between the two countries.
Konstantin Borisovich Pulikovski in a toast said that the historic event in August 1945 is always remembered by the Russian and Korean peoples. The relations between the two countries forged in the joint struggle have made big progress, standing the test of the times for the last 60 years, he noted.
The historic visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in 2000 and the historic visits to Russia by Kim Jong Il, chairman of the NDC of the DPRK, in 2001 and 2002 have injected energy into all key fields, he noted, adding the particular relationship between the leaders of the two countries has become a sure guarantee and basis for further boosting the Russia-DPRK cooperation. Russia supports the DPRK's line of building a great prosperous powerful nation, he stated.
Referring to the improvement of the north-south relations and the principled stand of Russia supporting the independent reunification of Korea based on the independent principle, he said that Russia sincerely rejoices over the recent positive development of the relations between the north and the south of Korea in many fields and wishes the Korean people new greater success in this respect.
The banquet proceeded in an amicable atmosphere overflowing with friendship.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
