The G7 Foreign Ministers has raised alarm over the UN Security Council UNSC’s inaction over the frequence of North Korea’s repeated Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launched recently.
The G7 which consists Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and High Representative of the European Union disclosed this in a joint statement released on Thursday.
They condemned in the strongest terms North Korea’s brazen launch of another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) conducted on July 12, 2023.
While following the launch using ballistic missile technology conducted on May 31, 2023 along with the launches of two ballistic missiles on June 15, 2023.
The G7 Ministers called for a quick, strong, and unified response by the UN Security Council (UNSC), saying frequency of North Korea’s repeated violations of UNSCRs juxtaposed with the UNSC’s inaction because of members’ obstruction is cause for significant alarm.
The Ministers urged on all UN Member States to fully and effectively implement all UNSCRs, and urge the UNSC Members to follow through on their commitments.
“We call on North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea.
According to them, “North Korea continues to expand its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and to escalate its destabilizing activities.
“These launches pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and stability, and undermine the global non-proliferation regime.
“They are flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), which prohibit North Korea from conducting any further launches that use ballistic missile technology. We once again call on North Korea to refrain from any other provocative actions”.
G7 Ministers reiterated their demand that North Korea 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 fully comply with all obligations under the relevant UNSCRs.
“North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)”, they declared.
The G7 Foreign Ministers noted that North Korea’s decision to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the welfare of the people in North Korea is aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation.
“The G7 remains committed to working with all relevant partners toward the goal of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and to upholding the rules-based international order”, they said.