Cuba and North Korea rejected recent demands while expressing concern about escalating tensions on the peninsula.
Cuba’s foreign minister and his North Korean counterpart rejected the United States’ “unilateral and arbitrary” demands on Wednesday while expressing concern about escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.
North Korea is searching for support amid unprecedented pressure from the US and the international community to cease its nuclear weapons and missile programs, which it carries out in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
The country, which has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland, has maintained warm political relations with Cuba since 1960, despite the island’s opposition to nuclear weapons.
Some diplomats said Cuba was also one of the few countries that might be able to convince North Korea to move away from the current showdown with the US that threatens war.
The ministers, meeting in Havana, called for “respect for peoples’ sovereignty” and “the peaceful settlement of disputes,” according to a statement released by the Cuban foreign ministry.
“They strongly rejected the unilateral and arbitrary lists and designations established by the US government which serve as a basis for the implementation of coercive measures which are contrary to international law,” the statement said.
