Russia's presidential envoy in the Far Eastern Federal District left for North Korea by air on Sunday to attend celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Korea from Japan's colonial rule, according to the Itar-Tass News Agency.

During the official visit, Konstantin Pulikovsky, the presidential envoy, is to deliver a congratulatory message to Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea and chairman of North Korea's Defense Committee, from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On the eve of the visit, Pulikovsky told reporters that both Russia and North Korea have made energetic efforts to develop and deepen their interaction, expressing satisfaction with the high level of political relations between the two countries.

Touching upon the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the presidential envoy emphasized that "there is no other way to resolve the issue than through a patient and constructive peaceful dialogue that would take into account the anxieties of all the sides concerned."

Pulikovsky, whose visit to North Korea will continue till August 18, said that the Russian side attentively follows the development of the situation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2005)