Mick Hartley

It's the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the DPRK, aka North Korea, and the greetings and congratulations have rolled in from a rogue's gallery of heads of states, as published in the official Rodong Sinmun. There's Pakistan, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Laos, and a floral basket from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. 

And, of course, Bashar Assad:

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, received a message of greeting from Bashar Al-Assad, president of the Syrian Arab Republic, on September 2.

The Syrian president said in the message that he was pleased to extend the heartfelt and warmest congratulations to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and the people of the DPRK on the occasion of the 73rd founding anniversary of the DPRK, wishing the DPRK greater progress and prosperity.

The message noted that the great H.E. Kim Il Sung and H.E. Kim Jong Il achieved brilliant victory and successes in the work for building a powerful socialist country with their devoted struggle.

It said that Kim Jong Un, who is carrying forward the line of the preceding leaders, has turned the DPRK into the great country with powerful military force and economic might firmly struggling against the arbitrary U.S. imperialists and their following forces by leading the Korean people.

It noted that the Syrian Arab Republic would further strengthen the historic bilateral relations in various fields in the interests of the peoples of the two countries and continue to maintain the close ties of friendship and cooperation.

It wished Kim Jong Un good health and happiness.

From one brave revolutionary anti-imperialist to another. Brings a tear to the eye.