The press office of the council stated in a statement: “The Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, will visit Pyongyang at the head of a Russian delegation at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” The statement noted that the visit’s program, scheduled for August 14 and 15, includes participation in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened in recent years, marked by the first direct flight between the capitals. This came during the meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the city of Wonsan, where Lavrov said: “During the first round of our strategic talks, you described the new strategic agreement between our countries as a solid foundation for an invincible brotherhood in arms. Your heroic participation in the battles of the Kursk region confirmed tangibly what you expressed, as soldiers of the Korean People’s Army fought alongside Russian fighters, shedding their blood and even sacrificing their lives for the liberation of the region from the Ukrainian Nazis.”
