House of Representatives ratifies treaty on friendship and cooperation with the DPRK

On 5 November, deputies of the House of Representatives ratified the treaty on friendship and cooperation between Belarus and the DPRK. The treaty was signed in Pyongyang on 26 March 2026 during Alyaksandr Lukashenka's official visit.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Sekreta said the treaty was concluded to take relations with the DPRK to a qualitatively new level and to form their institutional basis. The chamber's press service, according to its statement, called ratification not a mere formality but "a serious strengthening of political, economic and humanitarian dialogue".

According to Sekreta, diplomatic relations with the DPRK were established in 1992. He said the contractual basis for cooperation was laid in the 1990s, when certain aspects of trade and economic ties were settled.

In March 2026, Lukashenka said that Belarus's relations with the DPRK were entering a fundamentally new stage. According to reports by pro-Russian outlets, the parties planned to sign another 10 documents during the visit.

The treaty is concluded for ten years. It is extended automatically for five-year periods unless one of the parties gives notice of termination 12 months in advance. Sekreta called it a basic political instrument that will be used in drafting further agreements.

The parties undertake to develop relations on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial inviolability and non-interference in internal affairs. They also promise not to take part in alliances and blocs "directed against the key interests of the other party, including sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and the right to development, and not to take any actions, including concluding treaties of this kind with third states". In addition, Belarus and the DPRK committed not to allow their territories to be used for armed aggression against the other party.

According to the text of the bill published on the National Legal Internet Portal, Minsk and Pyongyang agreed to "ensure convenience" for trips by Belarusians to the DPRK and by North Koreans to Belarus.

The Council of Ministers submitted the ratification bill to the National Assembly on 20 October. The House of Representatives passed it on 5 November in a single reading.

The bill will now go to the Council of the Republic. The document will enter into force after the president signs it.