North Korea accused the US and Western countries of trying to cover up the traces of their involvement in blasts at Nord Stream gas pipelines.

“The US and the West flatly rejected Russia's just proposal to conduct an international joint investigation, involving Russia as a directly related party, under the observation of the UN,” Kim Jong Gyu, director general of the Russian Affairs Department of the North Korean Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“Furthermore, they have never informed Russia of their investigation results.

This is just a petty trick to cover up the traces of their involvement in the sabotage crime,' he was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The international community should voice support for Russia’s 'fair and reasonable demand' to carry out an unbiased and detailed investigation into Nord Stream blasts with the participation of Russian investigative authorities and interested parties, the North Korean official noted.

The whole situation once again 'brings to light the impudent double-standard policy and black-hearted design of the US and the West working hard to demonize the independent countries by painting a black picture of them, frequently talking about ‘fairness’ and ‘objectivity’,' he added.

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported unprecedented damage that occurred the day before on three strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines.

On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists registered two explosions on the pipeline routes.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office launched a criminal case in connection with the incident based on charges of international terrorism.

Germany, Denmark and Sweden announced conducting their own national investigations, though they refused to allow Russia to join them.