Al Assad will visit Kim in North Korea

Syrian president Bashar Al Assad said he plans to visit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, North Korean state media reported yesterday, potentially the first meeting between Kim and another head of state in Pyongyang.

“I am going to visit the DPRK and meet HE Kim Jong-un,” Al Assad said on May 30, North Korea’s KCNA news agency reported, using the initials of the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian regime. Al Assad reportedly made the remarks as he received the credentials of North Korean Ambassador Mun Jong-nam.

Pyongyang and Damascus maintain good relations, and United Nations monitors have accused North Korea of cooperating with Syria on chemical weapons, a charge the North denies.

Both countries have faced international isolation, North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, and Syria over its tactics during a bloody civil war.

“The Syrian government will as ever fully support all policies and measures of the DPRK leadership and invariably strengthen and develop the friendly ties with the DPRK,” Al Assad said, as quoted by KCNA.