North Korea’s Foreign Minister in Brazil for Talks

The Foreign Affairs minister of North Korea, Pak Ui-Chun, is in Brazil where he arrived Sunday, May 10, to meet with his counterpart Celso Amorim, according to a release from the Brazilian Foreign ministry. Brazil and North Korea established formal diplomatic relation in 2001.

Bilateral trade in 2008 between both countries reached US$ 381 million. North Korea opened its embassy in Brazilian capital Brasí­lia in 2005 and the Brazilian government is in the process of a similar opening in Pyongyang in the coming weeks.

The Brazilian government has condemned North Korea's nuclear tests and has supported the resumption of talks on Pyongyang nuclear program as well as it promotes the adherence to the non proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty.

Brazil' foreign policy has been to maintain diplomatic relations with all governments and in that spirit this week was scheduled to receive the visit of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was canceled at the last moment by the Iranian government. Domestic affairs and Ahmadinejad's re-election bid postponed the Iranian president visit.

The North Korean top official earlier in the week met in Cuba with President Raúl Castro and with Peruvian president Alan Garcí­a.

Last Friday the Pyongyang regime threatened to strengthen its dissuasive nuclear program coinciding with the Asian tour of an envoy from the Barack Obama administration to try and convince North Korea to retake stalled multilateral negotiations for the dismantling of its nuclear program.

Mercopress