MINSK, March 25. /TASS/. Belarus and North Korea plan to sign a treaty of friendship during Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang, the eastern European nation’s Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov told reporters.
"Our biggest interest in North Korea is to strengthen our relations of true friendship and partnership. We have friends here who are waiting for us as we are waiting for them at home in Belarus. The time has come to step up relations. There is an entire range of areas that both Belarus and North Korea are interested in; all of them are reflected in the treaty of friendship that our countries’ leaders will sign. It is on the basis of this treaty that we will boost ties between ministries and government agencies," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying.
According to the top Belarusian diplomat, the parties are expected to sign about ten agreements during Lukashenko’s visit. "The current situation is simply pushing us into each other’s arms. We are looking for friends. Even though they are in a far away land, our friends are loyal, reliable and respectful."
Lukashenko arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday for a two-day state visit. The Belarusian presidential press service reported that his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be the main event of the visit.