SEOUL, June 2. /TASS/. The North Korean Foreign Ministry sees a report of the so-called Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Group on cooperation between Russia and the country a provocation and a violation of the principle of sovereign equality of states, the Central Telegraphic Agency of Korea reported.
The head of the foreign policy department of the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that the report was fabricated, while the group has no legitimate grounds for existence, since its purpose violates the principles of sovereign equality of states and non-interference in internal affairs.
"We express our serious concern over the provocations of the West, which is trying to encroach on the sovereign rights of the DPRK, and strictly warn of the negative consequences that their reckless actions will entail," the statement said.
Pyongyang said that all 11 member countries of the group are "hostile towards the DPRK and the Russian Federation. No one has given the United States and its obedient allies the authority to assess legitimate relations between sovereign states," the Foreign Ministry added.
The diplomat said that military cooperation between North Korean and Russia is carried out in accordance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty and the UN Charter.
"The DPRK has the right to take effective retaliatory measures to protect its rights and interests from the brazen violation of sovereignty and interference by members of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Group in its internal affairs," said the North Korean Foreign Ministry official. Pyongyang expressed confidence that "the machinations of hostile forces will have no impact" on the interaction between independent sovereign states.
On May 29, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Group, which includes 11 Western states, including the Republic of Korea and the United States, published a report on military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, some aspects of which allegedly violated UN Security Council resolutions. Earlier, a group of experts from the UN Security Council committee on sanctions against North Korea monitored compliance with sanctions, but its mandate was not extended.