Russian defense minister set to visit North Korea

By Burc Eruygur and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu will pay an official visit to North Korea, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said that the visit will take place from Tuesday to Thursday, during which Shoygu will “participate in celebrations dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War of 1950-1953."

"This visit will help strengthen Russian-North Korean military ties and will be an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries," the statement added.

Meanwhile, North Korea announced that a delegation from China will also join the annual event.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the delegation led by Li Hongzhong, deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, will visit North Korea to take part in the celebration.

Separately, the KCNA said participants from different regions arrived in Pyongyang on Monday to participate in the celebrations.