The head of North Korea’s Ministry of External Economic Relations (MEER) Kim Yong Jae left Pyongyang for Syria on Thursday to hold economic talks, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim is leading a “DPRK government economic delegation to Syria to participate in the 11th meeting of the DPRK-Syria Joint Economic Committee,” the report said. 

Both countries are heavily sanctioned by the U.S. — as well as the international community — through multiple UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. 

Kim Yong Jae’s schedule has so far yet to be released, though he was photographed at the Beijing Capital International