Dec. 1 (UPI) — North Korea‘s titular head of state has met with socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Korean Workers’ Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported Friday that President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly Kim Yong Nam met with Maduro in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Tuesday and signed agreements.
“North Korea and Venezuela diplomats concluded memoranda of understanding and agreements,” the Rodong stated, without elaborating on the details.
The paper also said Kim Yong Nam delivered a message from leader Kim Jong Un, as well as “gifts.”
“The relationship between [North Korea] and Venezuela is developing into a sincere and familiar friendship,” Kim Yong Nam reportedly told Maduro. “It is developing into a relationship between reliable comrades.”
The senior North Korean official also said the Venezuelan people’s “struggle for anti-imperialist self-reliance, peace and socialism” will forge ahead, according to North Korea media.
The Venezuelan president reportedly said his country prays for the victory of Kim Jong Un and the “victory of the North Korean people.”
Venezuela is under U.S. and European sanctions, and the state has been charged with corruption and human rights violations. U.S. officials have called Maduro’s re-election a “sham.”
Kim Yong Nam is on a tour of Latin America, and his next stop could be Cuba, according to South Korean news service News 1.
He is also expected to attend the inauguration of Mexico’s president-elect, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa will be present at the inauguration, according to the report.
South Korea said Friday there are no confirmations regarding a potential Seoul summit between Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-in, Seoul Pyongyang News reported.
The official statement comes after local press reported plans are underway to host the North Korean leader.
