Russia's presidential envoy in the Far Eastern Federal District
left for North Korea by air on Sunday to attend celebrations
marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Korea from
Japan's colonial rule, according to the Itar-Tass News Agency.
During the official visit, Konstantin Pulikovsky, the
presidential envoy, is to deliver a congratulatory message to Kim
Jong-il, leader of North Korea and chairman of North Korea's
Defense Committee, from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the eve of the visit, Pulikovsky told reporters that both
Russia and North Korea have made energetic efforts to develop and
deepen their interaction, expressing satisfaction with the high
level of political relations between the two countries.
Touching upon the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the
presidential envoy emphasized that "there is no other way to
resolve the issue than through a patient and constructive peaceful
dialogue that would take into account the anxieties of all the
sides concerned."
Pulikovsky, whose visit to North Korea will continue till August
18, said that the Russian side attentively follows the development
of the situation.
(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2005)