Belarus's Lukashenko holds talks with foreign leaders in Beijing

ISTANBUL

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko on Wednesday held a series of bilateral meetings with foreign leaders in Beijing during events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to the Belarusian presidency.

Lukashenko met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Mnangagwa thanked Lukashenko for contributing to regional food security and renewed an invitation for him to visit Zimbabwe.

The Belarusian leader also held talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, with both sides exploring possible cooperation and agreeing to determine the timing of Fico’s potential visit to Belarus.

In another meeting, Lukashenko spoke with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who recently visited Minsk.

They discussed cooperation in education, particularly opportunities for Indonesian students in Belarus, while Subianto invited Lukashenko to visit Indonesia.

Before the start of a military parade in Beijing, Lukashenko also exchanged words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who extended an invitation to visit Pyongyang “at any convenient time.”

It marks the first time the third-generation North Korean leader has attended a multilateral event since he assumed power in December 2011.