Belarus & North Korea Forge Alliance: New Treaty Signed

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a friendship and cooperation treaty Thursday during talks in Pyongyang, signaling a strengthening alliance between the two nations.

Strengthened Ties

Lukashenko, who was on a two-day official visit, described the treaty as “fundamental,” stating that relations between Belarus and North Korea are “entering a new stage,” according to his press service.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the leaders discussed boosting high-level cooperation and visits, and exchanged views on unspecified “international and regional issues of mutual concern.”

“Yes, we didn’t have close cooperation, largely due to our own fault. But I am sincerely pleased to note that cooperation has now significantly intensified,” Lukashenko said.

Officials from Belarus and North Korea signed several agreements and memorandums on cooperation in areas including education, healthcare, agriculture, and others.

“In today’s reality of a global transformation, when the global powers openly ignore and violate international law, independent countries need to cooperate more closely, consolidate efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the well-being of our citizens,” Lukashenko said.

Kim expressed “solidarity and full support” for Belarus and spoke out “against unlawful pressure on Belarus from the West,” according to Lukashenko’s press service. KCNA reported that Lukashenko told Kim their governments share the “same opinion on international affairs.”

The leaders exchanged gifts; Kim presented Lukashenko with a sword and a vase bearing the Belarusian leader’s image, while Lukashenko gave Kim an assault rifle manufactured in Belarus, stating, “Just in case enemies show up.”

Kim hosted Lukashenko at an ice-skating show and a formal reception, and personally saw him off at Pyongyang’s airport, according to reports from both countries.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia and allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, later authorizing the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Kim has also increasingly aligned his foreign policy with Moscow, providing support to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Lukashenko and Kim last met in Beijing in September 2023.