Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov visited North Korea aboard the first direct flight to Pyongyang from Moscow in 33 years and held talks with the North’s external economic relations minister.

According to the North’s state Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, the Russian minister held talks with Yun Jong-ho the previous day at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang.

The two officials are part of a North Korea-Russia committee for trade, economic and scientific cooperation, with Yun serving as the North Korean chair and Kozlov as the Russian chair. 

Also at the meeting were officials from the North’s foreign ministry and its external economic relations ministry, as well as representatives of Russia’s ministry of natural resources and the Russian embassy in Pyongyang.

They reportedly discussed the implementation of the protocol adopted during the committee’s 11th meeting, held in Pyongyang in November last year. 

The Russian delegation arrived at Pyongyang International Airport and was welcomed by Minister Yun and Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to Pyongyang.