The G7 foreign ministers consider it “another flagrant violation of the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations”
The G7 foreign ministers have condemned this Sunday the ballistic missile launch long-range attack by North Korea on November 18, while have urged the UN to take “meaningful steps” in the face of increased tension in the region.
The heads of diplomacy of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, together with the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, have condemned “in the strongest terms” the “blatant launch” of an intercontinental ballistic missile last Friday.
“This missile launch is another flagrant violation by North Korea of the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council”, reads the joint communiqué.
“This reckless act, coupled with evidence of ongoing nuclear activities, underscores the determination of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) to advance and diversify its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities”, explain the members of the G7 before warning that these measures destabilize “even more the region”.
Thus, the main industrialized countries have lamented that the series of “unprecedented illegal launches (…) represents a serious threat to peace and security regional and international”. “They also represent a danger and an unpredictable risk for international civil aviation and maritime navigation in the region,” they added.
“We reiterate our demand that the DPRK abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and immediately cease all related activities,” the ministers urged.
United response from the international community
The G7 foreign ministers have assured that Pyongyang’s actions “demand a united and strong response from the international community, including the need for the UN Security Council to take further meaningful action”.
“We call on all states to fully and effectively implement all United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea and address the risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (of DPRK) as an urgent priority,” the joint statement continued.
The group has committed to “work with all relevant partners towards the goal of peace and security on the Korean peninsula and upholding the rules-based international order”.
Likewise, the G7 has urged the government of Kim Jong Un to resume dialogue towards denuclearizationas well as to accept the offers of negotiations presented by Washington, Tokyo or South Korea.
Pyongyang has been testing missiles at an unusually high frequency this year, including short-range and long-range ballistic missiles, as well as a medium-range missile that flew over the Japanese archipelago. The intercontinental projectile launched this Friday can carry several nuclear warheads to a radius of about 15,000 kilometers, that is, enough to reach the entire continental United States.