Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the capital of Turkmenistan for a two-day visit, TASS reported.
His schedule for today is busy, the agency notes. In addition to participating in the events of the forum in honor of the International Year of Peace and Trust, which is being celebrated by the UN, Putin has a number of bilateral meetings planned.
The Kremlin has already confirmed negotiations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, and the Iranian embassy announced plans for that country's President Masoud Pezeshkian to meet with the Russian leader. At the same time, in Ashgabat, in addition to the host of the forum, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the presidents of Armenia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, as well as the prime ministers of Azerbaijan, Hungary, Georgia and Pakistan will be present, TASS reported.
The participation of units of the Korean People's Army in the liberation of the Kursk region from Ukrainian formations underlined the status of the DPRK on the world stage, the country's leader Kim Jong-un said during the plenum of the Workers' Party of Korea, TASS reported.
As reported by the KCTA agency, an expanded session of the plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held from December 9 to 11, at which the results of the party and state work for the year and preparations for the party congress. Kim Jong-un presided over the meeting.
"In less than a year, units of various types of troops of our army have achieved brilliant combat successes in a foreign military operation and demonstrated to the world the invincibility of our army and state, confirming their reputation as true defenders of international justice", the KCNA agency said. Another foreign policy achievement is the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.
"The solemn events in honor of the 80th anniversary of the party this year emphasized to the whole world the absolute dignity and invincible power that only our party, our state and our people possess, and repeatedly strengthened the firm will of the whole people striving to build a socialist society with their own minds and efforts and according to their own model", the KCNA said. The agency noted that in the field of modernization, "significant progress has been made in all aspects of the country's defense capability."
Kim Jong-un also said that a "historical turning point" had occurred in 2025, when his country "overcame the last obstacle to the implementation of the five-year plan and prepared the momentum for the transition to a new stage" of development.