The United States has blacklisted a Turkish company and two executives for allegedly attempting to bypass sanctions prohibiting sales of weapons and luxury goods to North Korea as Washington maintains pressure on Pyongyang to dismantle its missile and nuclear programs.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Thursday that SIA Falcon International Group, which also has a branch in Latvia, and the individuals acting on its behalf “are blatantly attempting to flout longstanding UN sanctions” against Pyongyang.
“The United States is deeply committed to the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, and will continue to enforce and implement sanctions until that time,” said the statement.
The Treasury said that earlier this year, SIA Falcon CEO Huseyin Sahin and its general manager Erhan Culha hosted in Turkey a diplomat from North Korea’s embassy in Mongolia to negotiate trade deals involving weapons and luxury…