Sri Lanka today clarified that it has not defied the UN sanctions on North Korea by importing textiles from Pyongyang.
The foreign ministry said its attention had been drawn to a news report that several countries including Sri Lanka had imported textiles during the period October 2017 and March 2018.
"In keeping with Sri Lanka's international obligations as a member of the United Nations, the government of Sri Lanka abides by the provisions of the UN Security Council resolutions in relation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," a statement said.
It added that Sri Lanka was working closely with the UN Security Council panel of experts for the implementation of the resolutions.
The ministry said the media report about Sri Lanka's purported North Korean imports had been triggered by inadvertent customs entries which had erroneously selected North Korea as the imports source when the imports had been from the South.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375 passed on September 11, 2017 imposed sanctions on North Korea.