A high-level Russian defense official recently attended an event at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow, DPRK state media reported on Sunday, in a move that one expert called the latest example of the two countries’ efforts to boost military cooperation.

Russian deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin and other Russian officials joined the reception on Thursday to mark the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, which fell on Aug. 15, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).