ISTANBUL 

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov discussed bilateral ties with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui during a meeting in the East Asian country’s capital Pyongyang. 

A statement by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that the two diplomats discussed the whole range of bilateral issues between Minsk and Pyongyang, as well as agreed on specific measures to intensify contacts between the two countries at various levels.

The parties reached an agreement on the next steps to further develop the legal framework and intensify cooperation between the foreign ministries, as well as in a number of areas, including healthcare, education, agriculture and sport, the statement said.

It further said that both the diplomats noted the convergence of Belarus and North Korea’s positions and agreed to continuing “joint efforts to move towards a just multipolar world order.”

“In this context, the two countries discussed interaction in international organizations and the situation in the sphere of global and regional security,” the statement also said, adding that Choe expressed support for Minsk’s efforts to resist Western sanctions.

Ryzhenkov arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday as part of a three-day official visit at the invitation of his counterpart.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​