The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that it was ending the mission of North Korea’s non-resident ambassador and terminating its own envoy’s services in Pyongyang, the foreign ministry said.

The UAE would also stop issuing new visas or company licenses to North Korean citizens, the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM.

Several thousand North Korean workers reside in the U.S-allied Gulf region, mainly working on construction sites.

“The measures come within the context of its obligation as a responsible member of the international community to strengthen the international will and to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and missile programmes”, the ministry said.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged UN member states in September to turn up the pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, using his maiden speech to the world body to address what he has said is the top global challenge.

North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches have stirred global tensions and prompted several rounds of international sanctions at the UN Security Council.

The announcement follows similar moves by the UAE’s Gulf Arab neighbours Qatar and Kuwait, which in September downgraded their ties with Pyongyang and ceased issuing new visas to North Korean citizens.