Pak In-chol, chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, has held talks with his counterparts from Russia and three other countries in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of a global meeting of assembly chiefs, state media reported Sunday. 

Pak met with the chairperson of Russia’s Federation Council, as well as the heads of the Mongolian and Vietnamese assemblies and a deputy chairperson of the Lao parliament, during his attendance at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament from last Tuesday to Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

During her talks with Pak, Valentina Matvienko, the Russian parliamentary speaker, cited the “close friendship” between the North Korean and Russian leaders as the “fundamental element” that has elevated bilateral ties to their highest level in history, the KCNA reported.

The agency also quoted her as saying that Russia-North Korea ties “have overcome all kinds of challenges and proved their value since the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty.” She also reaffirmed Russia’s solidarity with North Korea.

China’s top legislator Zhao Leji also attended the global event, but no talks took place between him and Pak, a possible sign that bilateral ties have yet to fully recover after being strained by Pyongyang’s close alignment with Russia over the war with Ukraine, Yonhap news agency reported.

The international event has been hosted every five years since 2000 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization of national parliaments, with North Korea consistently dispatching a representative.

South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also attended this year’s event, but no meeting took place between him and Pak either.