Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held summit talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation, the North's state media reported Friday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made a two-day official visit to North Korea at the invitation of Kim. The visit resulted in an upgrade of bilateral ties between Pyongyang and Minsk to a "new stage."

Kim and Lukashenko also signed a number of agreements covering diplomacy, agriculture, public health, and other areas, as reported by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The leaders expressed satisfaction and confidence that their cooperative ties will expand and develop in a way that meets the interests of their people, KCNA said.