MOSCOW, July 13– Russian President Vladimir Putin looks forward to continuing direct contacts with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), in the near future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement on Saturday. Lavrov arrived in the DPRK on Friday night and met with Kim on Saturday in the DPRK’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan. “These meetings always encourage the continued development of our relations, especially in the context of the agreements reached between you and President Putin,” Lavrov told the DPRK top leader. “Putin sends his warm greetings … He looks forward to continuing direct contacts with you in the near future,” Lavrov said. “The discussions were substantive, focused, and productive,” Lavrov said, referring to the talks with his DPRK counterpart, Choe Son Hui. “We covered the full range of bilateral issues … We also addressed a broad spectrum of topics related to cultural and humanitarian cooperation.” Earlier in the day, Lavrov met with Choe during the second round of a strategic dialogue between the foreign ministers of the two countries. In his opening remarks, Lavrov praised the “heroic servicemen of the Korean People’s Army,” who had “fought with exceptional bravery alongside Russian soldiers” in Russia’s Kursk Region.
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