MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russia and North Korea are coordinating their efforts to ensure regional security and stability, as he hailed relations between the two countries as having reached an “unprecedented level.”In a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marking the 81st anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day, Putin said Moscow and Pyongyang had achieved an “unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership.”“Our countries actively cooperate in all areas, coordinating their efforts to ensure regional security and stability,” Putin said in the message published by the Kremlin.Putin expressed confidence that the two countries would continue working together on key bilateral and international issues for the benefit of their peoples.He said the cooperation would also serve their shared interest in building what he described as a “more just and truly democratic world order.”Russia and North Korea have significantly expanded political, military and economic ties in recent years following the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024.Korea’s Liberation Day marks Japan’s defeat in World War II and the end of its 35-year colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. The anniversary is also observed in South Korea.