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Belarus' foreign minister to visit North Korea amid deepening Pyongyang-Moscow ties

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Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Shestakov, left, shakes hands with a North Korean official after arriving in Pyongyang in this April 16 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap

Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Shestakov, left, shakes hands with a North Korean official after arriving in Pyongyang in this April 16 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap

Belarus' foreign minister will visit North Korea this week amid deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, the communist state's state-run media reported Monday.

Maxim Vladimirovich Ruzenkov will pay an official visit to Pyongyang from Tuesday to Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The KCNA did not elaborate on his itinerary, but Ruzenkov is likely to meet North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.

Belarus has been supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is considered one of Russia's strong allies.

With Ruzenkov's visit to Pyongyang, the two nations are expected to discuss cooperation between the two and three-way ties including Russia.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il and Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Shestakov held talks in Pyongyang to strengthen high-level exchanges. (Yonhap)