Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko is expected to arrive in North Korea for his first official visit on Wednesday, March 25th according to media reports. The two-day trip comes as both countries face heavy international sanctions and maintain close ties to Russia.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended the invitation following a September meeting in Beijing, where the two leaders attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square. The visit is intended to “strengthen bilateral cooperation,” according to reports from media outlets close to Lukashenko’s office.
Flight tracking data shows a Belarusian government aircraft en route from Minsk to North Korea, though the destination has not been confirmed. The meeting marks the first official visit by Lukashenko to Pyongyang and is expected to involve discussions on political and economic collaboration.
Lee Ho-ryung of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) said the meeting is intended to “show solidarity” among nations opposed to the Western order, stating
Kim will try to use the occasion to raise its diplomatic profile and strengthen solidarity among the so-called anti-Western bloc.
Lukashenko has been in power for more than 30 years, while Kim Jong Un assumed leadership of North Korea following his father’s death in 2011. North Korea’s legislature reappointed Kim this month to head the nation’s highest policymaking and governing body.
