PYONGYANG – North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has departed for Russia to participate in the fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum and the BRICS Women’s Forum in Saint Petersburg. The announcement was made by Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang on Monday.
Russian Ambassador Alexander Ivanovich Matsegora was present at Pyongyang International Airport to see Choe off. The forums are scheduled to take place from September 18 to 20, where Choe Son Hui is expected to deliver speeches and engage in discussions.
Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, indicated in June that nearly a hundred countries were expected to attend the forums, with a goal of achieving record foreign representation.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended previous iterations of the forum, there has been no official announcement regarding his participation this year.
The visit comes amid intensified diplomatic relations between North Korea and Russia. Earlier this year, Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defense pact during Kim’s visit to Pyongyang.
The U.S. and its allies have accused North Korea of providing weaponry to Russia for its ongoing conflict in Ukraine in exchange for economic and military aid. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these allegations.