G7 nations begs DPRK to stop pursuing weapons of mass destruction

Admin l Saturday, March 26, 2022

 

BRUSSELS – Foreign Ministers of the G7 nations, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America have called on the Democratic Republic of North Korea, DPRK to accept offers for dialogue and abandon its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

The G7 nations gave the advice following a successful test of a new range of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by the DPRK. The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile reportedly flew for 1,090km (681 miles) to a maximum altitude of 6,248.5km (3,905 miles) and hit a target in the sea.

“We call on the DPRK to accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by all parties concerned, including the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

“We, the G7 foreign ministers and the High Representative of the European Union, also call on the DPRK to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner”, the G7 nations said.

They observed that since the beginning of 2022, the DPRK has conducted an unprecedented series of missile tests which build on ballistic missile tests conducted in 2021, including launches of new so-called hypersonic missiles, and has claimed a submarine-launched ballistic missile test.

“These tests demonstrate the DPRK’s continued efforts to expand and further develop its ballistic missile capabilities. We deeply regret that the DPRK, with the most recent launches, has also abandoned its self-declared moratorium on ICBM launches.

“We strongly condemn these acts which are in blatant violation of the DPRK’s obligations under numerous UN Security Council resolutions including resolution 2397 (2017). These reckless actions threaten regional and international peace and security, pose a dangerous and unpredictable risk to international civil aviation and maritime navigation in the region, and demand a united response by the international community, including  further measures to be taken by the UN Security Council”, the G7 said.

They called on States to fully and effectively implement all restrictive measures relating to the DPRK imposed by the UN Security Council and to address the risk of weapons of mass destruction proliferation from the DPRK as an urgent priority.

The body also noted with concern the report by the Panel of Experts established in pursuant to resolution 1874 (2009) that illicit ship-to-ship transfers continue to take place, expressing its readiness to readiness to assist in and strengthen capacities for effective sanctions implementation.