North Korean first vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui and top officials from Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in meetings yesterday agreed to strengthen ties and expand "strategic cooperation" between the two countries, DPRK state media reported on Thursday.

Reporting on a series of talks in the Russian capital between Choe and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Titov, as well as with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the two sides had sought to build on agreements made during a historic DPRK-Russian summit in April.