Belarus set to open embassy in North Korea, says foreign minister

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has instructed officials to open an embassy in North Korea, the country's foreign minister said.

"The president has set very specific objectives. Opening our embassy here in response to the DPRK (North Korean) embassy, which has long existed in the Republic of Belarus," Maxim Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying by state news agency Belta.

Ryzhenkov added that Lukashenko also tasked officials with accelerating work on a visa-free travel agreement for Belarusian citizens.

"And, in general, building on the already signed Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, we will examine the entire range of issues that we can address in the very near future," he said, noting that promising areas include healthcare, education, and agriculture.

His remarks came a day after Minsk and Pyongyang signed a "friendship treaty" during Lukashenko's first-ever visit to North Korea. Meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Belarusian president said ties between the two countries are now entering "a fundamentally new stage."

North Korea has maintained an embassy in Belarus since 2016.