North Korea on Tuesday sent greetings to Australia’s new Prime Minister Tony Abbott, state media said, despite recently being prevented from establishing an embassy in Australia.

Pak Pong Ju, Premier of the DPRK Cabinet, sent a congratulatory message that “expressed expectation and belief that the relations between the two countries would develop on good terms on the principle of respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefits,” North Korea’s Korea Central News Agency said.

The message however comes just months after Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) – under former Labor Senator Bob Carr – denied North Korea’s application to