North Korea and Belarus held a meeting of their foreign ministers to discuss regional and international situations and ways to strengthen their relations.
North Korea’s state-run media, Rodong Sinmun, reported that Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov met at the Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
The discussions involved “in-depth exchanges of opinions” on further developing the cooperative relationship between North Korea and Belarus and regional and international situations of mutual interest.
However, the specifics of the discussions were not disclosed. Given that both countries are allies of Russia, it is likely they emphasized their support for Russia concerning the Russia-Ukraine war and shared anti-U.S. and anti-imperialist sentiments.
Following the foreign ministers’ meeting, Ryzhenkov also met with the head of North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Economic Affairs, which oversees the country’s foreign trade and export-import operations.
Rodong Sinmun also reported that Ryzhenkov and Foreign Economic Minister Yun Jong Ho discussed cooperation and held sectoral meetings among workers.
Speculation is mounting that North Korea and Belarus may have discussed economic cooperation, particularly the potential dispatch of North Korean workers.
According to a Telegram update from the Russian Embassy in North Korea, Ryzhenkov also met with Aleksandr Matsegora, the Russian Ambassador to North Korea. Matsegora provided details about last month’s North Korea-Russia summit and shared his assessments of the current situation.
Under President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s rule since 1994, Belarus is known for its strong pro-Russian stance.
Recently, North Korea’s close ties with Russia have coincided with increased interactions between North Korea and Belarus. In April, Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Shestakov visited Pyongyang to meet with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Im Chon Il to enhance high-level contacts and agree on cooperation in economic and cultural areas.
These developments suggest a strengthening alliance among Russia, Belarus, and North Korea. Last September, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko hinted at the possibility of considering cooperation among the “Russia-Belarus-North Korea” trio.