Canada “unequivocally” condemns North Korea’s latest launch of short-range ballistic missiles, the federal government said Wednesday.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that North Korea’s “provocative” launch of a short-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, “coupled with the launches of short-range ballistic missiles on two occasions in May, and again on July 25, risks undermining the diplomatic process under way since 2018.”
“These missile launches violate successive United Nations Security Council resolutions and are a direct threat to international peace and security,” the statement.
“Canada calls on North Korea to comply with its international obligations and take concrete steps toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.”
Diplomacy represents the only path to security, stability and prosperity for all people in the region, the statement added.
“Canada supports efforts, at both the international and regional level, to restrain North Korea’s dangerous actions and reinforce security in the Asia-Pacific region,” the statement said.
U.S. plays down tests
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the test-fire of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, in this undated picture released by North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 26, 2019. (KCNA/via REUTERS)
Pyongyang’s tests of short-range missiles over the past week happened despite the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump on June 30 at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas at which they agreed to revive their talks on North Korea’s weapons.
U.S. officials have played down the tests.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped talks would start soon, though he “regretted” that a highly anticipated meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho would not take place in Thailand this week.
Ri has canceled a trip to an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference in Bangkok that Pompeo is attending.
“We stand ready to continue our diplomatic conversation with North Korea,” Pompeo told a news conference with his Thai counterpart, adding he was optimistic Kim would deploy his team for working-level talks “before too long”.
A summit between Trump and Kim in Vietnam in February collapsed after they failed to reconcile differences between U.S. demands for North Korea’s complete denuclearization and North Korean demands for sanctions relief.
With files from Reuters
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.