Quad nations condemn North Korea for using ballistic missile technology, urge it to comply with UNSC resolutions

Tokyo [Japan], July 29 (ANI): The Quad Foreign Ministers on Monday criticised North Korea for using ballistic missile technology and continuing its pursuit of nuclear weapons in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), and urged the country to comply with all UNSCRs.

In a joint statement released by the US Department of State from the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, “We condemn North Korea’s destabilising launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UNSCRs.”

Expressing concern over the use of cyber activity by North Korea, the joint statement said, “We express our grave concern over North Korea’s use of proliferation linkages, malicious cyber activity and workers abroad to fund its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UNSCRs, and we urge North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the UNSCRs and engage in substantive dialogue.”

The joint statement emphasised the need to prevent any proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond. “In that context, we urge all UN Member States to abide by the related UNSCRs including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materials. As the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts tasked with monitoring violations of North Korea-related UNSCR sanctions was not renewed, we reiterate our commitment to continued implementation of the relevant UNSCRs which remain in full force. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue,” the statement added.

The countries also expressed their concern over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and stressed the need for peace in line with international law. The statement said, “We express our deepest concern over the war raging in Ukraine including its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. We reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The statement further said, “We also note the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine about global food and energy security, especially for developing and least developed countries. In the context of this war, we share the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We underscore the importance of upholding international law, and in line with the UN Charter, reiterate that all states must refrain from the threat of or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.”

The ministers in the Quad meeting also condemned cross-border terrorism and expressed their disapproval over the use of drones and tunnels by terrorist entities. “We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. We deplore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, tunnels and information and communication technologies by terrorists and terrorist entities. We strongly reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks and call for bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice without delay,” the joint statement said.

The ministers urged all countries to take immediate, sustained and irreversible action to prevent territory under their control from being used for terrorist purposes. The statement added, “We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of terrorist attacks and support implementation, including through domestic designations of UN Security Council resolutions as they pertain to sanctions. We reiterate the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including Al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and their proxy groups.”

Asserting their commitment to international cooperation, the joint statement added, “We are committed to international cooperation and working together with our international and regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. We welcome the fruitful discussions held at the first Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism meeting and the fourth tabletop exercise in Honolulu in December 2023, and look forward to Japan hosting the next meeting and tabletop exercise in November 2024.”

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, committed to supporting an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.