Максим Рыженков. Скриншот видео
A friendship treaty between Belarus and the DPRK is set to be signed during the visit of Aliaksandr Lukashenka to Pyongyang. This was stated by Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou.
“Our greatest interest in the DPRK is to strengthen truly friendly, partnership relations. Our friends are here, they are waiting for us. Just as we are waiting for them in Belarus. The time has come to develop relations more actively. There is a whole range of areas that are of interest to both the Belarusian and Korean sides. They are all reflected in the relevant friendship treaty, which will be signed by the leaders of our countries. Based on this treaty, we will then develop contacts through sectoral ministries and agencies,” the minister said, BelTA reported.
According to Ryzhankou, a total of 10 agreements are planned to be signed.
“This is a fundamental friendship treaty and nine sectoral agreements covering cooperation in agriculture, education, healthcare, cooperation between the chambers of commerce and industry of our countries, the Academy of Sciences and local research institutions in agricultural development, and cooperation between information ministries. It is quite a substantial body of legal agreements,” he said.
The minister also noted that trade turnover between the countries remains modest. According to him, there are “a number of interesting areas for potential supplies.” These include pharmaceuticals and food supplies. Belarus could import inexpensive and high-quality cosmetics from the DPRK.
“We are only at the beginning of the journey. The current situation is simply pushing us into each other’s arms. We are looking for friends. These friends may be far away, but they are very loyal, reliable, and respectful towards us,” he said.
It was reported earlier today that Lukashenka’s press service announced that his visit to the DPRK had begun. He departed from Minsk around midnight.