The prospective signing of an extradition agreement between Russia and North Korea may be a way for Pyongyang to cover all corners in its efforts to stem defections and illegal exits from the country.

Russia’s potential willingness to sign the agreement may also be part of the country’s efforts to improve relations with North Korea as Moscow seeks new friends following sanctions over its 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

An April 13 report from the Russian-language version of EuroNews, citing the local news agency ITAR-TASS, stated that Russia and North Korea plan to sign an agreement on the extradition