Japan, Australia, US, India Condemn North Korea's Missile Launches - Joint Statement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2023) The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), comprising the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, on Friday condemned North Korea's launches of ballistic missiles and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to a joint statement, published by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

"We condemn North Korea's destabilising ballistic missile launches, including the launch of yet another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on February 18, 2023 in violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and urge North Korea to comply with its obligations under UNSCRs.

We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue," the ministers said in the statement, following the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in India's capital New Delhi.

The foreign ministers added that they "stress the importance of addressing proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond."

On February 20, North Korea test-fired two missiles from the west coast to the east. Both missiles fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Soon after, Pyongyang confirmed the launch of two 600-mm rockets from its multiple-launch rocket systems toward the Sea of Japan.

Since the beginning of 2023, Pyongyang has carried out three missile launches. In 2022, North Korea test-fired a total of 37 missiles.