Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is set to make an official visit to North Korea. This visit will mark Kim Jong Un’s first summit of the year as the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party.
On Tuesday, the Korean Central News Agency announced that President Lukashenko will officially visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the invitation of General Secretary Kim.
Belarus’s state news agency, Belta, reported that President Lukashenko’s visit is scheduled for two days starting from Wednesday, during which the two leaders plan to hold a summit.
This summit appears to be aimed at expanding exchanges in light of the growing ties between North Korea and Russia. Analysts also suggest it’s in response to requests from Belarus, which has been aligning more closely with Russia.
In January of last year, when foreign media reported that North Korea had proposed high-level talks with Belarus, Kim Yo-jong, then-deputy director of the Workers’ Party, refuted the claim. She stated that to her knowledge, no such proposal was made, and expressed displeasure by adding that honesty should be the foundation of bilateral relations.
Despite Kim’s comments, President Lukashenko later expressed his intention to visit North Korea soon to discuss expanding trade between the two countries, signaling a continued desire to improve relations.
While the Korean Central News Agency did not assign any special significance to President Lukashenko’s visit, Belta reported that the two countries will discuss various cooperation methods and feasible joint projects to develop their relationship. The news agency added that President Lukashenko’s visit is expected to strengthen the institutional framework of bilateral relations and promote more active cooperation between the two countries.