Cuban Ambassador to North Korea Takes Charge, US Closely Monitors Pyongyang's Moves

Cuba's new ambassador to North Korea has arrived in Pyongyang to begin his duties, as countries with friendly ties to Pyongyang have stepped up diplomatic activities since the Northeast Asian nation reopened its borders following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cuban Ambassador Luis Garcia Correa (left) presents his credentials to Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea Choe Ryong-hae on February 1. (Source: KCNA/Yonhap)

Yonhap quoted the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 1 as saying that Ambassador Eduardo Luis Garcia Correa handed over a letter of credentials from Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to the leader of the Northeast Asian nation, Kim Jong-un.

North Korea and Cuba have long maintained close ties since establishing diplomatic relations in 1960.

According to Yonhap , most diplomatic missions in Pyongyang were closed due to Covid-19 in early 2020.

Cuba became the third country to send an ambassador to North Korea and present credentials since last year, after China and Mongolia, when Pyongyang partially reopened its border.

Nicaragua is planning to soon open an embassy in North Korea.

Meanwhile, since the second half of last year, North Korea has closed nine diplomatic missions abroad. The total number of North Korean diplomatic missions abroad as of January 30 was 44.

Regarding the situation in North Korea, on the same day, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Vipin Narang revealed that Washington is monitoring the possibility of Pyongyang conducting its 7th nuclear test, while cooperating with Seoul to "effectively" manage tensions along the inter-Korean border.

In an interview with Yonhap news agency, Mr. Narang emphasized that the US, together with South Korea, is "ready and prepared for all situations" in the context of increasingly serious military threats.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-cuba-tai-trieu-tien-nhan-nhiem-vu-my-theo-doi-chat-dong-thai-cua-binh-nhuong-259532.html