site.btaBulgarian Foreign Ministry Summons North Korean Charge d’Affaires

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Choe Yun Chon, Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), over reports about North Korean troops on the territory of Russia and their deployment in the war against Ukraine, the Ministry said on its website.

Director General for Political Affairs Gergana Karadzhova stated Bulgaria's position that by its actions the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea became an accomplice of Russia in its unprovoked and unjustified aggression against independent and sovereign Ukraine in flagrant violation of international law and the founding principles of the UN Charter.

Bulgaria defines these actions as a unilateral hostile act with serious consequences for European and global peace and security, which creates preconditions for a dangerous expansion of Russian aggression, she said.

By changing its position on the denuclearization of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russia is reneging on its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions adopted with its support, Karadzhova added, stressing that DPRK will never be granted the status of a nuclear-weapon state under the NPT.

The Bulgarian side reaffirmed the positions of the statement of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of October 25 and the statement of the NATO Secretary General of October 28, expressing strong solidarity with the EU's strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region and Bulgaria's intention to work in close coordination with them, including in terms of retaliatory measures. Bulgaria called for the suspension of assistance to Russia and condemned the actions of countries that support Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry also condemned the DPRK's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on October 31 2024 and called for an immediate halt to the destabilizing actions, which threaten peace and security not only on the Korean peninsula but also globally.