Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin arrived in Pyongyang as the head of a high-level delegation and met with Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) Presidium Chairman Jo Yong Won, as North Korea and Russia highlighted deepening ties ahead of a ceremony honoring North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday that the Russian delegation arrived Saturday at the invitation of the SPA and North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. Jo and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong Gyu greeted the delegation at the airport.

The visit comes ahead of the expected April 26 inauguration