N. Korea, Belarus discuss cooperation in agriculture, machinery: KCNA

This photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, shows a Belarusian government delegation visiting North Korea for the third session of the intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation. Yonhap

North Korea and Belarus have discussed ways to bolster cooperation in various fields, including agriculture and machinery, during a meeting of their intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation, the North's state media reported Friday.

The meeting took place in Pyongyang the previous day, represented by North Korea's Vice Premier Jong Myong-su and Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

"Issues of practical mutual cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture, machinery, public health, trade and education, were discussed in detail during the meeting," the KCNA noted.

The two sides also signed a protocol following the third session of the joint trade committee, the KCNA said, without disclosing its details.

A government delegation from Belarus, led by Shuleiko, arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the meeting, the first session of the joint cooperation committee since the second session held in June 2006.

Belarus is one of the few countries that North Korea is turning to for economic cooperation amid the tight international sanctions the country faces. Belarus has been supportive of Russia's war against Ukraine, while North Korea has supplied weapons, military equipment and troops to support Moscow.

North Korea's potential cooperation in machinery with Belarus could be in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution that bans U.N. member states from directly or indirectly supplying or selling any kinds of industrial machinery to North Korea.

The KCNA said the Belarusian delegation has also held a meeting with Premier Park Thae-song and visited landmarks in the capital, including Juche Tower, Kim Il Sung University's digital library and Mangyongdae Children's Palace.