Seoul, March 27 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held summit talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation, the North’s state media reported Friday.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had made a two-day official visit to North Korea at the invitation of Kim, and reportedly said bilateral ties between Pyongyang and Minsk were upgraded to a “new stage.”
Kim and Lukashenko also signed a number of 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 will expand and develop in a way that meets the interests of their people, the KCNA said, Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier on March 26, Kim Jong-un had 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 that 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 had 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.
–IANS
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