North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and his visiting Cuban counterpart Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez hold up their hands as they watch a mass games performance in Pyongyang on Nov. 5, 2018, in this photo captured from the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper. (Rodong Sinmun)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the country's "special" strategic relations with Cuba in another message congratulating President Miguel Diaz-Canel on his election as the new powerful head of its ruling communist party, according to state media Wednesday.
The message delivered Tuesday via the Cuban ambassador in Pyongyang came a day after Kim sent another message expressing "absolute support" to Diaz-Canel following his appointment as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Kim sent a Workers' Party official, Kim Song-nam, to pay a congratulatory visit to the Cuban Embassy in Pyongyang to "courteously convey the words of congratulations" to Diaz-Canel via Cuban Ambassador Jesus De Los Angeles Aise Sotolongo, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
In the message, Kim said he will always join hands with Diaz-Canel against challenges by hostile forces and stressed his will to further develop "special comradely relations and strategic relations with Cuba on a new high level as required by the new era."
Pyongyang has been seeking to maintain closer ties with its traditional allies amid an impasse in nuclear negotiations with Washington. Last month, Kim sent several verbal messages to the leaders of China, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos. (Yonhap)
