Russia allies North Korea, Belarus keen to boost ties, KCNA says

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea is keen to boost ties with Belarus to “open a new era”, state media KCNA quoted Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as saying on Wednesday, a day after she met her Belarusian counterpart in Pyongyang.

Both North Korea and Belarus are allies of Russia, which has become more diplomatically isolated since launching an invasion on Ukraine two years ago.

Moscow last year moved some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, and has held joint military exercises with its neighbour, and last month agreed a landmark pact with North Korea that allows either country to provide the other with military assistance if faced with an armed aggression.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Vladimirovich Ruzenkov arrived in Pyongyang earlier on Tuesday at the invitation of North Korea’s foreign ministry, KCNA said.

At a reception in Pyongyang’s Koryo Hotel for Ruzenkov, KCNA said Choe stressed “comprehensively boosting the relations” between the two countries to “open up a new era”.

KCNA had previously said the visit would be from Tuesday to Friday.

Meanwhile, a delegation led by Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov that had been visiting North Korea left Pyongyang on Tuesday, KCNA said.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler and Miral Fahmy)