Belarus and North Korea seek stronger ties amid U.S. sanctions row

A delegation from Belarus met officials from North Korea, expressing a desire to enhance the cooperation between the two nations. This move came after Pyongyang voiced dissatisfaction with the U.S.'s attempts to ramp up pressure by imposition of "unlawful" sanctions.

Belarus's Deputy Foreign Minister, Yevgeny Shestakov, and his North Korean counterpart, Lim Chun Il, discussed bilateral cooperation opportunities across various sectors, including the economy and culture. They also touched upon mutual support in international arenas. The North Korean state media, KCNA, shared these details on Friday.

The visit marks a continuation of diplomatic engagements following Pyongyang's lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. In a separate KCNA report, North Korea's Deputy Minister for International Organizations, Kim Son Gyong, criticized Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the UN. During her trips to South Korea and Japan, Thomas-Greenfield had labelled the UN sanctions on North Korea as "unlawful," according to usnews.com.

Russia has opted not to renew the mandate for the international panel of experts. For the past 15 years, this panel has been overseeing the enforcement of UN sanctions designed to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile projects.

Shestakov's arrival in Pyongyang happened on Tuesday, as detailed early this week by KCNA, which did not disclose further information. In the past month, North Korean delegations have visited countries such as China and Vietnam, and delegations from Russia and China have been hosted in Pyongyang, as reported by usnews.com.

Source: usnews.com