North Korea, Belarus friendship treaty signals emergence of Pyongyang-Moscow-Minsk axis
Published: 26 Mar. 2026, 19:11
![Kim Jong-un, left, hosts a welcoming ceremony for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is on an official visit to North Korea, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on March 25. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/26/a34de0f1-1d7f-4443-827b-c6962425587c.jpg)
Kim Jong-un, left, hosts a welcoming ceremony for Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is on an official visit to North Korea, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on March 25. [NEWS1]
North Korea signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with Belarus on Thursday. With Pyongyang effectively elevating ties with Belarus through a treaty, following its strategic partnership deal with Russia, some observers say solidarity among North Korea, Belarus and Russia could grow.
According to Belarus’ state-run news agency BelTA on Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko held summit talks, discussed ways to expand cooperation across the board, including in politics and the economy, and then signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation.
Lukashenko set off on a two-day official visit to North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The friendly relations between our states, which originated back in the days of the Soviet Union, have never been interrupted,” said Lukashenko, according to BelTA. “Today, as a result of comprehensive progressive development, we are transitioning to a fundamentally new stage. Belatedly, but nevertheless, we are transitioning to a new stage.”
“Yes, we did not have close cooperation, largely our fault,” he said. “But I am sincerely glad to see that our interaction has now significantly intensified.”
North Korean state media Rodong Sinmun reported Thursday that an official welcome ceremony for Lukashenko, who is visiting at Kim’s invitation, took place on Wednesday at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. At the event, Lukashenko received a report from the commander of North Korea’s honor guard and, guided by Kim, inspected the guard of honor.
Kim and Lukashenko later visited the Liberation Monument, a memorial to Soviet soldiers who died fighting Japanese forces during World War II, and observed a moment of silence. Before the welcoming ceremony, Lukashenko visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with First Vice Premier Kim Tok-hun, who had come to Sunan Airport to greet him. There, he laid a flower basket in his own name and a bouquet sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
![Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, left, lays flowers during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on March 25. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/03/26/1a47e5d7-534d-4afc-bef2-1384546fe3c6.jpg)
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, left, lays flowers during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on March 25. [NEWS1]
Onlookers view the scene as symbolic of North Korea and Belarus drawing closer, with Russia as the connecting link. Some observers also believe that Lukashenko’s latest visit could lead to stronger trilateral coordination among North Korea, Belarus and Russia in an anti-U.S. alignment.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have been developing their alliance across the board, including Russia’s completion of the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2023. With Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko traveling with Lukashenko on this trip, along with Belarus’ foreign, health, education and industry ministers, observers believe the two sides were likely to discuss broader ways to strengthen overall cooperation with North Korea.
Some analysts say stronger coordination among the three countries, united by anti-U.S. sentiment, could also affect the ongoing war involving Iran.
“Basically, they are likely to seek all-around cooperation based on firm support for the war in Ukraine,” said Lee Byong-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University. “At the same time, there may also be discussions on ways to support Iran, a close ally of both North Korea and Russia that is at war with the United States.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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