NATO Joint Statement "Urges North Korea to Give Up Nuclear Weapons... Must Respond to South Korea-US-Japan Dialogue Proposal"

Condemnation of North Korea's WMDs and Ballistic Missiles
NATO Secretary-General: "We Will Also Cooperate to Respond to Pressure from China"

The 31 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) issued a joint statement urging North Korea to achieve "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID). They emphasized the need for North Korea to promptly respond to dialogue proposals from South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

In the joint statement released after its first summit, NATO strongly condemned North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs, which violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

They reaffirmed that "we insist that North Korea must completely, verifiably, and irreversibly abandon all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, including nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs."

NATO urged North Korea to return to and comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, demanding that North Korea accept dialogue proposals from all concerned countries, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Furthermore, NATO stated, "We plan to further strengthen dialogue and cooperation to address joint security challenges such as cyber defense and technology," adding, "Our shared commitment to maintaining an international order based on international law underpins this."

NATO also expressed a tough stance toward China alongside North Korea. The statement said, "China has announced coercive policies that challenge our interests, security, and values," and added, "While we remain open to constructive relations with China, including building mutual transparency, we confront asymmetric threats such as cyber, space, hybrid warfare, and the malicious use of emerging disruptive technologies."

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, also noted at a press conference after the summit, "China is not our enemy," but pointed out, "However, China's assertiveness affects our security."

He further assessed, "China increasingly challenges the rules-based international order, refuses to condemn Russia's war against Ukraine, threatens Taiwan, and is undertaking fundamental military build-up."

He stated that NATO will continue cooperation to counter China's coercive actions. Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized, "Tomorrow, we will meet with the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union (EU). United, we are stronger and safer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.