N. Korean delegation to visit Moscow on Feb. 13: Russian lawmaker

A North Korean delegation may visit Moscow later this month and a Russian delegation plans to make a reciprocal trip to Pyongyang in March, a Russian lawmaker said Thursday.The North Koreans are expected to visit the lower house of the Russian parliament on Feb. 13, and Russian lawmakers plan to reciprocate their visit the next month, Kazbek Taysaev, a deputy of the Communist Party, told Russia's Sputnik news agency.The delegations' planned visits come as the two nations have been seeking to strengthen military cooperation following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia in September for a rare summit with President Vladimir Putin.The United States has accused the North of supplying Russia with arms for use in its war against Ukraine in exchange for Russia's technical assistance for Pyongyang's weapons programs.Last month, North Korea's top diplomat, Choe Son-hui, visited Russia to meet her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss ways to expand bilateral ties and paid a courtesy cal l on Putin.Putin has expressed his willingness to visit Pyongyang at an early date, but the Kremlin said it is not likely to happen before the March presidential election.Putin last visited North Korea in July 2000.Source: Yonhap News Agency