Mutharika snubs critics on North Korea relations with Malawi

Malawi President Peter Mutharika says he does not see how a relationship between Malawi and North Korea would offend the international community now as this has been the case before.

Mutharika said this reaction to political commentators who have argued that by receiving letters of credence from the North Korean Ambassador to Malawi Mutharika was creating enemies with western countries.

“The truth is that the relationship between Malawi and North Korea is 33 years old, from June 25, 1982. If there is any merit in the commentaries that a relationship between Malawi and North Korea offends the international community, it means all our five State Presidents in the last 33 years have committed this offense,” reads the statement released by Ministry of Information.

The statement says, as everyone is aware, since 33 years ago the relationship between Malawi and North Korea has never been, and still is not, a consideration by the international community in their dealings with Malawi.

“Further, several influential members of the international community who cooperate with Malawi have diplomatic relations with North Korea.

“These countries are, among other things, playing a critical role in international relations by using their relations to engage with North Korea on the perspectives of the international community.”

Acceding to the statement, Mutharika does not believe in diplomacy of isolation saying the foreign policy of his administration encourages diplomacy of engagement.

“This entails that countries must have contacts and speak with each other. Interestingly, this is the view that almost all members of the international community are taking to resolve international misunderstandings and achieve world peace,” says the statement.

It says the ongoing engagement between Iran and the international community on the former’s nuclear programme, for instance, is part of the contact and dialogue diplomacy that His Excellency President Professor Peter Mutharika’s administration believes in and advocates.

“The international community is also trying to resolve the crisis between Russia and members of NATO over Ukraine through discussion and negotiations.

“All these initiatives and efforts are taking place at the back of realizing that to build bridges across divides of opinion and ideas among members of the global community there is worth in contacts and relations.

The statement says in the case of North Korea, members of the international community, “some of whom are our own friends,” continue to engage that country through its contacts and relations to resolve existing misunderstandings and differences.

“Malawi will continue to encourage these efforts and will seize every opportunity to use its relations with North Korea to help bring the international community towards a collective solution that would enhance global efforts to achieve world peace and collaboration,” concludes the statement.