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North Korea backs Russian calls for probe into Nord Stream pipeline blast

Saturday, 04 March 2023 2:29 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 04 March 2023 3:40 PM ]

This picture shows the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022. (Via AFP)

North Korea’s state media has backed Russia’s call for an investigation into allegations that the West was behind the explosions that damaged Russia's undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines last year.

On September 26, 2022, a series of explosions took place on the pipelines, knocking out three of the four strings of the Nord Stream network, off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Russia has maintained that the West was behind the blasts, calling for an international investigation into the incident. Western officials, however, have denied the accusations.

North Korean’s international affairs critic Ahn Cheol-hyuk backed Moscow’s calls for an impartial investigation on Saturday.

In an article published in the North Korean state news agency KCNA, he said, the world needs to be aware of the "vicious coerciveness, war, and conspiracy maneuvers of the United States.”

Political reasons behind US decision to blow up Nord Stream: Seymour Hersh

Seymour Hersh says the US decision to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines relied on politics.

China has also called for an objective, impartial, and professional investigation into the explosions, urging relevant sides to heed the calls of the international community.

Two of the ruptured pipelines had been providing Germany and much of Western Europe with cheap Russian natural gas for more than a decade.

Following the blasts, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden said the ruptures were a result of sabotage, but have not said who they believe was responsible.

Late last month, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia once again accused Washington of being responsible for the explosions.

He said that the inquiry made by Germany, Denmark, and Sweden into the sabotage was aimed at protecting the US.

Furthermore, American journalist Seymour Hersh said formerly that US President Joe Biden had directly ordered the destruction of the pipelines in order to make sure Germany could not change its mind about sanctions against Russia and weapons shipments to Ukraine.