Putin congratulates N.Korea on 60 years of economic cooperation

MOSCOW. March 18. KAZINFORM Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin congratulated on Tuesday his North Korean counterpart Kim Yong-il on the 60th anniversary of an agreement between the two countries on economic and cultural cooperation.

"This is the first document in the history of our bilateral relations, which laid a legal basis for the development of mutually beneficial and equal cooperation - not only economic and cultural, but in all other spheres as well," Putin said in his congratulatory telegram. "We highly value cooperation with North Korea...and intend to expand and strengthen political, economic, scientific and cultural ties and exert joint efforts to preserve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the Russian premier added. In March 1949, North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung paid an official visit to Moscow to ask for economic aid. The Soviet Union is also believed to have helped North Korea during the 1950-1953 Korean War, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.