Belarusian delegation arrives in N. Korea for economic talks: KCNA

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, center, shakes hands with her Belarusian counterpart, Maxim Vladimirovich Ryzhenkov, left, during their talks at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, in this file photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, July 24, 2024. Yonhap

A government delegation from Belarus, led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, has arrived in Pyongyang to discuss economic cooperation, North Korea's state media reported Wednesday.

The delegation arrived in the capital the previous day at North Korea's invitation to attend the third meeting of the intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The visit will last from Tuesday to Friday, according to the KCNA's earlier report.

North Korea has been widely expected to strengthen ties with Belarus as its alignment with Russia deepens. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In February, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Lukashenko after he was reelected to his seventh presidential term.

Top diplomats of North Korea and Belarus held a meeting in Pyongyang in July 2024, as the two nations have been deepening military ties with Russia amid Moscow's war against Ukraine.