Pyongyang, January 17 (KCNA) -- Choe Son Hui, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea who is leading the DPRK government delegation on an official visit to the Russian Federation, paid a courtesy call on Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on Tuesday.

Choe Son Hui courteously conveyed the warm greetings from President of the State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong Un to President Putin.

President Putin asked the head of the delegation to convey his New Year greetings to Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

The talk reaffirmed the stand of both sides to promote the dynamic development of the overall bilateral relations, in conformity with the strong desire of the peoples in the two countries to usher in a new heyday of the strategic and traditional DPRK-Russia relations of friendship and achieve common prosperity and development, and closely cooperate and keep pace with each other for ensuring the regional and global peace and stability.

The talk proceeded in an amicable atmosphere overflowing with feelings of friendship.

Present there were members of the DPRK government delegation and DPRK Ambassador to the Russian Federation Sin Hong Chol, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and officials concerned of the Russian Federation. -0-