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This has been a very low-key visit so far. According to Cuban officials, the Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea arrived here on Monday but there's been no word at all about what his agenda has been up until now.
Ri Yong-ho's first public meeting came Wednesday morning when he arrived at the foreign ministry in Havana for talks with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez. This meeting comes as both countries faced deteriorating relations with the United States. The DPRK is under growing international pressure to end its nuclear and missile programs. This week US President Donald Trump placed the DPRK back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
We strongly reject the unilateral certifications and blacklist established by the government of the United States. Cuba calls for stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula. We believe that a lasting political solution can be achieved only through dialogue and negotiations. Both countries the DPRK and Cuba are practicing socialism under the cruel pressures and blockade of the imperialists.
Cuba was taken off the state sponsors of terrorism list by former US President Barack Obama but it is now facing new restrictions on trade and travel from the United States. Cuba and the DPRK have been closed politically since the early days of the Cuban Revolution establishing diplomatic relations back in 1960. And Cuba is one of the very few countries that doesn't have diplomatic relations with South Korea. There's very little trade between the two countries and this visit appears to be more about showing solidarity in the face of outside pressure.
