Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, may visit North Korea in 2015, according to news reports from local media.

Federation Council Deputy Chairman Yevgeny Bushmin stated his willingness to make preparations for Matvienko’s prospective visit by travelling to North Korea after meeting the country’s ambassador to Russia Kim Hyeon-jun, an April 3 report by RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

“We are ready to work on organizing a visit by Matvienko (to North Korea) for Matvienko, and are making it a priority for the visit to occur within the next year,” Bushmin said, referring