North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has voiced hope that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to develop their close ties, further consolidating the “eternal milestone” of the two nations’ relationship, state media reported Wednesday.

Kim made the remark in a congratulatory message to Putin on the occasion of Russia’s national day, the Korean Central News Agency reported, amid growing speculation that Putin could travel to Pyongyang as early as this month.

The North’s leader said the two countries’ ties have developed into an “unbreakable relationship of comrades-in-arms” and a long-standing strategic relationship following his summit with Putin at Russia’s Vostochny spaceport in September last year.

“The meaningful ties and close comradely relations, to be continued between us in the future, will further consolidate the eternal milestone of the DPRK-Russia relations in the new era,” Kim said, using the acronym of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Putin
is expected to make a trip to North Korea as early as this month before paying a visit to Vietnam, the Russian daily Vedomosti reported earlier this week. If realized, it would be Putin’s first trip to Pyongyang in 24 years.

The Kremlin earlier said Putin had accepted Kim’s invitation to visit North Korea during last year’s summit.

North Korea and Russia have been bolstering military ties and expanding the scope of cooperation in various fields since the Kim-Putin summit.

Source: Yonhap News Agency