Seoul, March 27 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held summit talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation, state media reported on Friday.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had made a two-day official visit to North Korea at Kim's invitation, and reportedly said that bilateral ties between Pyongyang and Minsk had reached a "new stage."
Kim and Lukashenko also signed several agreements on diplomacy, agriculture, public health, and other areas, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The leaders expressed satisfaction and confidence that their cooperative ties would expand and develop in a way that meets the interests of their people, the KCNA said. Yonhap news agency reported this.
Earlier on March 26, Kim Jong-un welcomed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang, as the Belarusian leader made his first official visit to the North.
A ceremony to welcome Lukashenko took place at Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday as he arrived in Pyongyang by his private plane for a two-day visit at the invitation of the North's leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Both North Korea and Belarus have supported Russia in its invasion against Ukraine, with Pyongyang sending troops and weapons and Minsk allowing Moscow to use its territory for the invasion.
Accompanied by Kim, Lukashenko also laid a wreath at the Liberation Tower in Pyongyang, which honors former Soviet Union soldiers who the North claimed were killed while helping liberate Korea from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The two leaders observed a moment of silence to honour the fallen soldiers.
For the trip, Lukashenko was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko and ministers of foreign affairs, public health, education and industry.