Belarusian president arrives in North Korea for 1st official visit

ISTANBUL

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday arrived in North Korea for his first official visit to the East Asian nation.

Lukashenko was met by North Korean First Vice Premier Kim Tok-hun and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov at Pyongyang International Airport, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.

Ryzhenkov told reporters that Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intend to sign a friendship and cooperation agreement during the two-day visit, the report said.

“The time has come to more actively develop our relations. There are a whole range of areas of interest to both Belarus and North Korea. These are all reflected in the relevant friendship treaty that our leaders will sign. And based on this treaty, we will develop contacts between relevant ministries and agencies,” Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying.

He added that, during the visit, the two countries plan to sign 10 different agreements which will strengthen the legal framework for bilateral cooperation, including what he described as the “fundamental” friendship treaty.

Lukashenko’s two-day visit was announced on Tuesday by the Belarusian presidency, which said the visit would be taking place at the invitation of the North Korean leader.

In September last year, Kim invited Lukashenko to visit Pyongyang “at any convenient time” during a conversation on the sidelines of a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II in the Chinese capital Beijing.