WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is reactivating its embassy in North Korea’s capital, becoming the second Western country after Sweden to resume operations suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foreign Ministry said in Warsaw Friday.
The move opens a channel of communication between Poland, a NATO member state, and Pyongyang, a close ally of Russia, which has contributed troops to fight in Ukraine.
Polish diplomats were in the North Korean capital this week as Poland looks to re-establish its diplomatic presence.
“The visit is of a technical and political nature and one of the main objectives is to re-establish the permanent diplomatic presence,” the ministry said.
The Polish embassy was closed in December 2020 after North Korean authorities announced a complete closure of the state border due to COVID-19. That made the normal work of the diplomatic mission ‘impossible’, the ministry said.
Sweden resumed the activities of its mission in North Korea in September.
