Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov spent his summer vacation in North Korea, where he finalized details of a deal on mutual visa exemptions with his DPRK counterpart Choe Son Hui, Minsk’s state media reported on Sunday.

Ryzhenkov said he spent his time in the country in a friendly atmosphere, praising the DPRK for its traditions and natural scenery, as well as its resorts like Wonsan Kalma and Pyongyang’s booming car traffic, according to his interview with Belarusian state television (Belteleradio).

“As President [Alexander Lukashenko] says, even when on vacation, a civil servant should continue working — so I