North Korea and the Russian-occupied Donetsk area of Ukraine will develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”, its self-appointed leader has stated in a letter to Kim Jong-un, in line with state media.

Denis Pushilin made the pledge in a message congratulating Kim on the 15 August Korean liberation day, North Korean state information company KCNA reported, two days after reporting an identical message from Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to Kim.

“The people of the Donbas region, too, are fighting to regain their freedom and justice of history today just as the Korean people did 77 years ago,” the report cited Pushilin’s letter as saying.

“The message expressed the conviction that an equally beneficial bilateral cooperation agreeing with the interests of the peoples of the two countries will be achieved between the People’s Republic of Donetsk and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” KCNA added, utilizing the official identify of North Korea.

Pushilin has beforehand stated he hoped for “fruitful cooperation” and elevated commerce with North Korea.

Last month, Russia’s ambassador in Pyongyang, Alexander Matsegora, stated North Korean labour may very well be despatched to help rebuild the war-shattered infrastructure within the self-proclaimed individuals’s republics in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Matsegora stated there have been doubtlessly “a lot of opportunities” for financial cooperation between the North and the self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s Donbas area, regardless of UN sanctions.

He instructed the Russian newspaper Izvestia in an interview, in line with Seoul-based web site NK News, that “highly qualified and hard-working Korean builders, who are capable of working in the most difficult conditions, could help us restore our social, infrastructure and industrial facilities”.

North Korea has historically earned much-needed international forex by sending its citizens to work overseas. Under UN-sanctions they have been presupposed to have been repatriated by the top of 2019, however vital numbers of North Korean labourers have reportedly continued to work in Russia and China, in addition to in Laos and Vietnam, after the deadline.

Earlier this week, Putin instructed the North Korean ruler that Russia and North Korea would “expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with common efforts”, in line with a letter cited by KCNA on Monday.

The letter claimed nearer ties can be in each nations’ pursuits, and would assist strengthen the safety and stability of the Korean peninsula and the north-eastern Asian area.

During a speech on the Moscow worldwide safety convention on Tuesday, Putin stated Russia would supply its allies and companions with “advanced weapons and military equipment” in addition to working to create new “mechanisms of international security”.

Kim reportedly despatched a letter of reply to Putin saying Russian-North Korean friendship had been solid within the second world battle with victory over Japan. Their “strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity” had since reached a brand new degree of their frequent efforts to frustrate threats and provocations from hostile army forces, Kim stated within the letter. KCNA didn’t determine the hostile forces, however it has sometimes used that time period to discuss with the US and its allies.

Kim predicted cooperation between Russia and North Korea would develop based mostly on an settlement signed in 2019 when he met with Putin.

In July, North Korea recognised the self-proclaimed Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republics (LPR) in jap Ukraine’s Donbas area, as unbiased states.

The transfer made North Korea solely the third nation after Russia and Syria to recognise the 2 breakaway entities.

In a press release backing the self-proclaimed republics, the North Korean international ministry stated Ukraine has “no right to raise issue or dispute our legitimate exercise of sovereignty after committing an act that severely lacks fairness and justice between nations by actively joining the US unjust and illegal hostile policy in the past”.

In response, Ukraine instantly severed relations with Pyongyang over the transfer.

Reuters contributed to this report.