North Korea has trumpeted congratulatory messages from Russia and China’s ruling parties for the start of the Ninth Party Congress, signaling Pyongyang’s continued prioritization of ties with Moscow and Beijing.

The letters from Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of the United Russia party, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China appeared together on page four of Friday’s Rodong Sinmun, which announced the start of the congress the previous day.

The party-run newspaper also published messages from DPRK-aligned organizations of overseas ethnic Koreans, including the General Association of Koreans in China and the General Association of Korean Residents in