New Delhi, Delhi, India

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Thursday and has invited him to visit Russia.

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"Come to Russia, we'll be very happy to see you," Lavrov told Kim in remarks released by the Russian foreign ministry.

Lavrov also passed on best wishes to Kim from President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, saying he wished him success in the "major undertakings that have been initiated on the Korean peninsula", the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov who travelled to Pyongyang on Thursday told Kim that Moscow supported peace and progress on the Korean peninsula and highly valued a declaration signed by Pyongyang and Seoul.

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It remains unclear whether Kim has accepted the invitation. Should he decide to go, it will represent the first visit by a North Korean leader to Russia since his father Kim Jong Il visited Russia in August 2011.

As per reports, Russia is particularly interested in projects involving the construction of gas pipelines and railways connecting the two Koreas to Russia. 

Lavrov's visit to Pyongyang, which was announced on Wednesday, comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity to organise a landmark summit between Donald Trump and Kim, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also meeting Kim's right-hand man Kim Yong Chol in New York late Wednesday.

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Last month North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho held rare talks with Lavrov in Moscow as Pyongyang moves to improve strained ties with global powers.