North Korea Urges Latin American Countries Not to Sever Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - North Korea on Saturday condemned the United States for asking some Latin American countries to sever diplomatic and trade ties with the North, calling the request a violation of international law.
US Vice President Mike Pence openly urged Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru to cut off all ties with North Korea during his visit to Santiago, Chile, on Aug. 16, according to wire reports.
Earlier, the United Nations Security Council imposed tough new sanctions on the North over its nuclear and missile programs, aiming to slash Pyongyang's annual export revenues by a third and deprive the regime of the means to support its weapons programs, Yonhap news agency reported.
A spokesperson of North Korea's foreign ministry told the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that the recent US request for Latin American is an intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states and a violation of international law and order.
"Such a coercive behavior has exhibited extreme selfishness and arrogance of the United States seeking to gain benefits from sacrificing all other parts of the world," the spokesperson said, answering a question from a KCNA reporter.
The spokesperson then asked the Latin American countries to reject the US demand, saying, "All countries will become victims of US interventions in domestic affairs, if they comply with or tacitly approve the US-sponsored UNSC sanctions."
The North Korean official added that Pyongyang will further advance its friendly relations with many countries in the world based on the ideology of self-reliance, peace and friendship.
