Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith will visit Pyongyang for the 80th founding anniversary of North Korea’s ruling party next week, state media reported Thursday, making him the first world leader confirmed to attend a major North Korean political anniversary in seven years.

President Thongloun Sisoulith will pay a “congratulatory visit” to the DPRK at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a one-line report.

Lao state media has yet to announce Thongloun’s visit, but the KCNA report marks the first confirmation of a world leader attending celebrations for the