Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the United Nations (UN) delivered a statement at Non-aligned Movement(NAM) Ministerial Meeting held via video conference on July 14.

The permanent representative said that “Non-Aligned Movement at the centre of multilateral efforts in responding to global challenges” was adopted as the theme for the current meeting, which is a timely and appropriate choice as it reflects the trend of the present times running against the high-handedness, arbitrariness and unilateralism of specific forces rampant in the international arena.

He said that this day, in the midst of serious socio-economic crisis incurred by the pandemic, NAM is faced with grave challenges in its struggle to safeguard sovereignty of the countries and nations and to achieve peace, prosperity and sustainable development, and mentioned as follows:

A dangerous situation which may lead to the destruction of the world peace and stability is created due to the acts of infringement on sovereignty, interference in internal affairs and unilateral coercive measures perpetrated against independent states based on the logic of strength, as well as to the daily worsening politico-military confrontation between the big powers.

The present situation demands that the non-aligned and developing countries are firmly united to reject aggression and interference of the outside forces, safeguard the sovereignty and the rights to existence and development and give full play to their role and capacity to address major international issues.

To safeguard global peace and security and achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) set forth by the UN, we should strictly observe the principles of sovereign equality, self-determination and non-interference in internal affairs in international relations, oppose high-handedness, arbitrariness and unilateralism and realize cooperation among countries and genuine international justice.

NAM as a powerful anti-war, peace-loving force should oppose the imperialists’ manoeuvres of aggression and war, strengthen the unity and cooperation and actively conduct collective action at the UN and other multilateral fora.

Especially, NAM should cope in unity with the moves of the Western countries to interfere wilfully in internal affairs and seek regime change of those developing countries which do not obey them, under the pretext of “human rights”.

The member states of NAM should never tolerate the attempts of the Western countries to misuse human rights for promoting human dignity and development to attain their sinister political purposes, and totally reject politicization, selectivity and double-standards of human rights issue

As was reaffirmed in the Baku Summit and other summits, the NAM should defend the common interests in the solution of international issues including the UN reform, anti-terrorism, environment, hunger and refugee crisis and strengthen exchange, cooperation and solidarity in all fields covering politics, the economy and culture.

Furthermore, movement-wide attention should be directed to let all countries share the experiences gained and lessons learnt from the anti-epidemic campaign and to ensure equal access to medical benefit, thereby contributing to the international efforts to stamp out, at the earliest possible date, the crisis caused by the malignant virus which seriously threatens the very existence of humankind.

He mentioned that this day, the Korean people, united single-mindedly under the wise leadership of respected Comrade Kim Jong Un , President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, have turned out as one in the struggle to achieve a new victory in socialist construction by overcoming all challenges and difficulties in the spirit of self-reliance, and emphasized as follows:

Miracles and innovations are created every day in implementing the first year task of the new five-year plan for national economic development, which is to further intensify the national anti-epidemic work coping with the global health crisis and provide the people with more stable and civilized living conditions by thoroughly implementing the decisions made at the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The challenges of hostile forces continue unabated and the difficulties encountered are enormous, yet no one can stop the advance of our people firmly rallied around the leader in a single-mined unity, and we will surely achieve prosperity by dint of self-reliance and self-development.

The Permanent Representative expressed his deep gratitude to the member states of NAM who, as ever, support and encourage the struggle of the Korean people for speeding up the building of a powerful socialist country and safeguarding peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region. He also reaffirmed the support to and solidarity with developing countries including Cuba, Syria, Palestine in their just struggle for rejecting the Western countries’ interference in their internal affairs, economic blockade and pressure and defending their state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He underlined that the DPRK will, in the future, too, actively develop the friendly and cooperative relations with the NAM countries under the idea of independence, peace and friendship, and will make strenuous efforts for safeguarding peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the rest of the world.