SEOUL– North Korea claimed on Friday that recent anti-government demonstrations in Cuba must be an “outcome of behind-the-scene manipulation by the outside forces,” apparently blaming the United States for causing instability in a country with which Pyongyang has been seeking to strengthen ties.
“Massive anti-government protests have recently taken place in several areas of Cuba, including the capital city Havana,” the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
“The anti-government protests that occurred in Cuba are an outcome of behind-the-scene manipulation by the outside forces coupled with their persistent anti-Cuba blockade scheming to obliterate socialism and the revolution,” it added.
The statement did not mention the U.S. but is presumed to refer to Washington as an outside force that worked behind the scenes to foster instability in Cuba.
North Korea has been seeking to maintain closer ties with its traditional friendly countries, including Cuba, amid an impasse in nuclear negotiations with Washington.
In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent multiple congratulatory messages to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, expressing hope that relations between the two countries will “grow stronger.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency