Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, has made his first official visit to North Korea at the invitation of leader Kim Jong Un, aiming to strengthen the relationship between the two countries both sanctioned by Western nations.
Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, began an official visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) today (25 Mar), marking a historic trip closely watched internationally, as both countries maintain close ties with Russia and face Western sanctions.
Belta, a Belarusian news agency, stated that this two-day visit aims to deepen bilateral relations by identifying key shared priorities and laying the groundwork for promising projects that could yield concrete developments together.
Analysts view Belarus and North Korea as important allies supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, with North Korea sending weapons and troops to the battlefield, while Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory as a base for the 2022 invasion.
This meeting follows Kim Jong Un’s personal invitation to President Lukashenko during their encounter at the Tiananmen Square military parade in Beijing, China, last September, when Kim sent a letter reaffirming his intent to advance a new era of bilateral relations.
The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) told foreign media that Lukashenko’s visit may be intended to demonstrate strength and enhance unity among countries opposing the Western-led world order.
North Korea has long been under Western sanctions, primarily due to its nuclear weapons program, missile tests, and support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Korean and Western intelligence estimate that North Korea has deployed thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment, including artillery shells and missiles, to Russia, particularly in the Kursk region; South Korea reports about 2,000 North Korean soldiers have died in combat with thousands more wounded.
Analysts suggest that Russia has reciprocated by providing North Korea with financial aid, military technology, food supplies, and energy, a friendship underscored by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea in 2024, helping Pyongyang reduce its long-standing dependence on China, its main ally.
Meanwhile, international human rights organizations continue to condemn North Korea’s brutal regime for torture, public executions, imprisonment in labor camps, forced slave labor, and suppression of freedom of expression and movement.
President Lukashenko has sought to fully align Belarus with Russia while enforcing harsh policies against dissent throughout his 30-year rule; Western sanctions target Belarus for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and for cracking down on protesters in 2020.
However, former U.S. President Donald Trump has attempted to restore relations with Belarus by easing sanctions and inviting Belarus to join the Board of Peace, leading to the recent release of numerous prisoners, including a major release of 250 detainees earlier this month.
Despite this, hundreds of political prisoners remain incarcerated, mostly detained after the 2020 election, which Lukashenko won by a landslide amid opposition claims of a "sham election."
Given Trump’s previous meeting with Kim Jong Un during his first presidential term, speculation exists about a possible new meeting during Trump’s upcoming visit to China in April, which had previously been postponed once.
Source: AFP