PYONGYANG, March 26. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for closer cooperation with North Korea and consolidation of efforts to defend sovereignty.

"In the present-day realities of global transformation, when power players openly ignore and violate norms of international law, independent countries need to cooperate more closely, to consolidate their efforts to defend their sovereignty and improve the wellbeing of our citizens," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying during talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The North Korean leader met with the visiting Belarusian president during the greeting ceremony on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported earlier.

According to the agency, the Belarusian delegation includes Deputy Prime Minster Yury Shuleiko, Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, Health Minister Alexander Khodzhayev, Education Minister Andrey Ivanets, and Minister of Industry Andrey Kuztensov.