N. Korean Supreme People’s Council speaker asks for broader ties with Iran

Kim Yong Nam made the comment Wednesday evening while receiving a copy of the credentials of the New Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to North Korea, Mansour Chavoshi.

Referring to the strategic Tehran-Piong Yang relations, the top Korean official said that the two countries’ unused potentials for comprehensive ties, and particularly economic relations.

He also referred to his recent successful visit of Tehran in which he had meetings with high ranking Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, considering hosting of the XVI Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit was a great success, not only for Iran, but also for the entire independent countries.

Kim Yong Nam expressed hope that during Iran’s rotating presidency of the NAM the movement would manage to play a more dynamic role at the international scene.

Iran’s new ambassador to Piong Yang, too, briefly reviewed the bilateral ties, considering the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamene’ie’s May, 1989 visit of North Korea as a turning point in the history of the two countries’ relations.

Chavoshi further reiterated, “The existence of lots of commonalties between the two countries has led to a good level of understanding between the two sides, and as a result the ground for various types of cooperation is well paved.”

He added, “The independent and powerful countries, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of North Korea can relying on each other’s assistance create a strong dam against the totalitarian tendency of the oppressor powers.”

Before Chavoshi, Morteza Moradian served as the IRI ambassador to North Korea.

Iran–North Korea relations are described as being positive by official news agencies of the two countries. Diplomatic relations picked up following the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the establishment of an Islamic Republic. Iran and North Korea pledge cooperation in educational, scientific, and cultural spheres, as well as cooperating in the nuclear program of Iran. The United States has been greatly concerned by North Korea's relations with Iran, which started during the 1980s.

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