Four years after its closure, the Nigerian government is set to reopen its embassy is North Korea, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang has said.
The Nigerian Embassy in North Korea was closed during the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus disease outbreak which started in 2019.
This particular move makes Nigeria the first African country to resume diplomatic activities in North Korea since the outbreak of the deadly disease.
News on the reopening of the embassy was disclosed by Nigeria’s charge d’affaires, Patrick Imologhome, during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora in Pyongyang last Wednesday.
The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang in a post made on its official Facebook account said Imologhome, who “recently arrived” in North Korea, shared his plans to reopen the Nigerian Embassy in Pyongyang.
It added that the decision comes long after the suspension of operations at the embassy which was caused by the pandemic.
It added that out of all the African countries, Nigeria and Egypt are the only ones with diplomatic presence in North Korea.
Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1976 and have maintained trade or business deals with in violation of the United Nations sanctions against North Korea, a UN panel of experts had noted.
However, since the outbreak of the disease, North Korea began reopening its borders in August 2023.
