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© AP Photo/Vincent Yu
Russia is still set for expansion of cooperation with North Korea, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Wednesday at a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Hyon Yong-chol.

"Our countries have big plans to expand bilateral ties in different spheres. I would like to emphasize that Russia's principled policy aimed at strengthening cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the spirit of agreements reached at the top level remains unchanged," Shoigu said.

In his words, Moscow is satisfied with activation of contacts with Pyongyang in 2014.

Shoigu thanked Yong-chol for accepting the invitation to attend the Moscow conference on international security and expressed conviction that Yong-chol's visit to Russia will serve the development of friendly bilateral ties, as well as "strengthening of peace and security in Asia."

"I am convinced that your speech at the plenary meeting with assessments of modern threats to security and the situation on the Korean peninsula will make a strong contribution to the work of the forum," he said.

The Russian defense minister said bilateral relations are developing dynamically and reaching a higher level.

"I hope the upcoming international conference will extensively cover issues relating to the reason of the tense atmosphere around our two countries and in other regions, the key factors of threats and challenges to security in the modern world," Shoigu said.

"I am convinced that an extensive exchange of opinions will be held to solve these issues on the sidelines of the conference," he said.