India, March 27 -- Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks in North Korea's capital on Thursday and signed a friendship and cooperation treaty.

Lukashenko, who was in Pyongyang on a two-day official visit, hailed the document as "fundamental," and said that relations between the two countries are "entering a new stage," according to his press service.

"Yes, we didn't have close cooperation, largely due to our own fault. But I am sincerely pleased to note that cooperation has now significantly intensified," Lukashenko said.

"In today's reality of a global transformation, when the global powers openly ignore and violate international law, independent countries need to cooperate more closely,...