The G7 condemns the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile and calls on the UN to take further action

MADRID, 21 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The G7 foreign ministers have condemned this Sunday the launch of a long-range ballistic missile by North Korea on November 18, while they have urged the UN to take "significant measures" in the face of the increase in 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 a intercontinental ballistic missile last Friday.

"This missile launch is yet another flagrant violation by North Korea of ​​United Nations Security Council resolutions," the joint statement reads.

"This reckless act, together with the evidence of ongoing nuclear activities, underlines the determination of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) to advance and diversify its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities," the G7 members explain before warning of 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 regional and international peace and security." "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 completely, verifiably and irreversibly abandon its nuclear weapons, existing nuclear programs and any other WMD and ballistic missile programs and immediately cease all related activities," the ministers urged. .

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 United Nations Security Council to take further meaningful action."

"We call on all states to fully and effectively implement all UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea and address the risk of proliferation of (the DPRK's) weapons of mass destruction as an urgent priority." , the joint statement continues.

The group has pledged 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 Unha to resume the dialogue towards denuclearization, as well as to accept the offers of negotiations presented by Washington, Tokyo or South Korea.

Pyongyang has been testing missiles with 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.