Pyongyang, September 14 (KCNA) -- Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, hosted a reception on Wednesday in welcome of the Russia visit by Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Before the reception President Putin presented the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un with a gift as a token of the meeting.

Kim Jong Un expressed thanks for it and offered his gift to Putin.

Invited to the reception were DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, Marshals of the Korean People's Army Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon, Minister of National Defence of the DPRK Kang Sun Nam, O Su Yong and Pak Thae Song, secretaries of the WPK Central Committee, and other accompanying officials.

Attending the reception on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and concurrently Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Mantrov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far East Federal Region Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and Press Secretary of the President Dmitri Peskov, Alexandr Kozlov, minister of Natural Resources and Ecology and chairman of the Russian side to the DPRK-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology, Minister of Transport Vitaly Saveliev and other leading officials, officials concerned and Alexandr Matsegora, Russian ambassador to the DPRK.

When the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un appeared at the reception hall, guided by President Putin, all the participant warmly greeted with a loud applause the top leaders of the two countries who are further strengthening the firm and true DPRK-Russia friendly bonds.

President Putin made a congratulatory speech at the reception.

Saying that he warmly welcomes once again Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the DPRK who is an honored guest of Russia, and other friends from the DPRK, President Putin referred to the development history of the friendly and comradely goodwill relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK.

The Russia-DPRK relations are invariably oriented to comradely and good neighborly relations as ever, he said, affirming the steadfast will of the Russian government to make consistent efforts for the development of the relations between the two countries and the wellbeing and prosperity of their peoples.

Kim Jong Un made a reply speech.

Saying that he was very pleased to meet President Putin and share a significant seat full of comradely friendship by visiting the Russian Federation again in four years and five months, he expressed his thanks to President Putin and officials concerned from the capital and of the Far Eastern Region for making great efforts to ensure his successful visit.

He also conveyed the militant respect and warm fraternal greetings of the DPRK people to all the Russian people who have turned out in the historic cause of building powerful Russia and firmly defending the strategic interests of the country.

He expressed his will to work out a far-reaching plan for the DPRK-Russia relations in the new era, stable and future-oriented, together with Putin, and to dynamically promote the powerful nation-building cause in the two countries and realize genuine international justice under the plan.

The reception proceeded in a familiar and amicable atmosphere overflowing with friendly feelings.

At the end of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time.

Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship.

Kim Jong Un said goodbye to Putin, wishing him good health and steady and good success in his important and responsible work for building powerful Russia.

He left for his next destination, being given a warm send-off by leading officials of Russia and the guard of honor of the three services of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

The historic meeting and talks between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin serve as an epoch-making event that put the traditional and strategic DPRK-Russia friendship, cooperation and good neighborly relations on a new higher level and powerfully encouraged the just struggle for accomplishing the cause of independence against imperialism.

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