PYONGYANG, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia plan to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations by further promoting bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in various fields, official media said Friday.

The official Korean Central News Agency said a working-level delegation of the DPRK Foreign Ministry headed by Im Chon Il, director general of its European Department 1, visited Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry this week.

The head of the delegation held negotiations with Andrei B. Kulik, director of the Asia 1 Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Feb. 6, said the report.

At the negotiations, they held in-depth discussions on matters concerning bilateral relations, including a planned joint event to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Russia and exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the report said.

"Both sides decided to positively propel the development of the overall bilateral relations by activating visits and contacts between the two countries and expanding the cooperation in various fields this year marking the above-said anniversary," it said.

The DPRK and Russia have maintained close relations since the late 1940s when Pyongyang and Moscow established diplomatic ties during the time of the former Soviet Union.