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Lukashenko orders to open Belarus’ embassy in DPRK, accelerate talks on visa waiver

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PYONGYANG, 27 March (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has instructed officials to open a Belarusian embassy in the DPRK and to speed up work on a visa waiver agreement, Belarusian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov told journalists while commenting on the highest-level talks held in Pyongyang, BelTA has learned.

“The president set very concrete tasks: to open our embassy here [in Pyongyang], as the DPRK embassy has long been operating in the Republic of Belarus, to accelerate work on the visa waiver agreement, and, more broadly, to review the full range of matters that we can advance in the very near future, relying on the signed Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. We need to identify where we have potential to support each other in achieving the development goals of our countries,” the minister said.

According to him, promising areas include healthcare, education, and agriculture. “They [the DPRK representatives] are just as concerned as we are about food security. Here we can provide support and lend a shoulder. They are also very interested in our expertise in healthcare,” Maxim Ryzhenkov noted.

He also said that the talks between Aleksandr Lukashenko and Kim Jong Un included a very substantive exchange of views on the international agenda: “They touched upon all areas: from developments in the Middle East, Iran, issues related to Russia’s special military operation, to relations with the world’s major powers. Historical matters that connect our countries were also discussed.”

“If we look at history, we find that we have a lot in common, as both of us won our right to independence and sovereignty through a fierce struggle, at the cost of millions of lives. And today, in pursuing our own path of development, we are again forced to fend off those who would prefer us to live differently,” the minister said. “The essence of our foreign-policy dialogue is absolutely not about making friends against someone. The main goal is to consistently develop relations between our two friendly nations, and to strengthen contacts between businesses and citizens of both countries.”

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