Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Sputnik that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, congratulating him on the National Liberation Day of Korea.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Sputnik that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, congratulating him on the National Liberation Day of Korea.
Earlier in the day, the Korean Central news Agency reported that Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to the North Korean leader in connection with the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of Korea from the Japanese colonial rule by the Soviet and US forces. The Russian president reportedly expressed the readiness to meet Kim in the near future to discuss regional issues and bilateral ties.
"Yes. We congratulated them on the anniversary," Peskov said.
Later in the day, Peskov said during a conference call that this was a very important anniversary and in the traditional telegram the Russian president highlighted Moscow's "willingness and readiness to establish and maintain dialogue and develop mutually beneficial relations."
The spokesman noted that there was a possibility of the North Korean leader's visit to the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
"This possibility exists, the forum is open to everyone, to all leaders of the region. But there is still no specific data, we have not received any confirmation from Pyongyang in this regard," Peskov added.
On June 4, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov handed over an invitation to Kim to visit Russia, possibly the EEF. Later in June, Putin confirmed the invitation.
The fourth EEF will be held on September 11-13 in the city of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East.
Under the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 then-Korean Empire was declared a protectorate of Japan. The agreement deprived Korea of its diplomatic sovereignty, while also placing all trade through Korean ports under Imperial Japanese supervision. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea. Japanese rule over Korea lasted till World War II conclusion in 1945.
