N Korea, Belarus sign 'friendship' treaty during Lukashenko visit

SEOUL, Mar 27: North Korea and Belarus's strongmen leaders signed a "friendship and cooperation" treaty on Thursday after Kim Jong Un gave a lavish welcome to President Alexander Lukashenko on his maiden visit.

Besides supporting Russia's war against Ukraine -- around 2,000 North Korean soldiers are thought to have died -- both nations are under Western sanctions and are accused of gross human rights violations. The two men met last year in China.

"In the modern realities of global transformation -- at a time when the world's major powers openly ignore and violate the norms of international law -- independent countries must cooperate more closely and consolidate their efforts aimed at protecting their sovereignty and improving the well-being of their citizens," Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.

"We oppose the illegitimate pressure on Belarus from the West and express our support and understanding for the measures taken by the leadership of Belarus aimed at ensuring social and political stability and economic development," Belta quoted Kim as saying.

North Korea's state news agency confirmed in a report on Friday the leaders had signed the treaty.    �"AFP