Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrives in North Korea for his first official visit, aiming to strengthen ties between two sanctioned nations aligned with Russia.
SEOUL: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in North Korea for his first official visit on Wednesday.
The two-day visit, at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the heavily sanctioned nations.
Both countries are close allies of Russia and have provided assistance for its war in Ukraine.
North Korea has dispatched troops and weapons, while Belarus served as a launchpad for Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The leaders previously met in Beijing last September, where Kim extended the invitation.
Analyst Lee Ho-ryung from the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said the meeting is intended to “show solidarity” among nations opposed to the Western order.
“Kim will try to use the occasion to raise its diplomatic profile and strengthen solidarity among the so-called anti-Western bloc,” she told AFP.
In a recent letter to Lukashenko, Kim expressed willingness to develop relations “to a new, higher stage”.
Lukashenko responded that Minsk is interested in “actively expanding political and economic ties with Pyongyang at all levels”.
The visit follows Kim’s recent reappointment as head of North Korea’s highest governing body, the State Affairs Commission.
