Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
President Marcos, United States President Joe Biden, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called out North Korea and Russia for the security threats posed by the use of nuclear weapons in the Indo-Pacific and European regions, whose peace and stability they reaffirmed during the historic trilateral summit in Washington D.C.
In the three leaders’ Joint Vision Statement after their historic trilateral meeting at the White House, they maintained their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and also warned Russia against the use of nuclear weapon in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
They also condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) escalatory threats and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Our three nations affirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and strongly condemn the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) escalatory threats and unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile launches,” the statement read.
“We emphasize the importance of addressing the human rights and humanitarian concerns of the international community, including the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. We strongly urge the DPRK (Democratic Republic of Korea) to comply with the relevant UN (United Nations) Security Council resolutions, and refrain from continued development, testing, and transfer of ballistic missiles to any country, including Russia, which has used these missiles against Ukraine,” it added.
They furthered that North Korea’s actions in the region put severe security risks and implications in the Indo-Pacific and European regions.
In the same statement, they also reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
The leaders’ cited the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions denouncing the illegal territorial acquisition of any country with the use of threat or force.
“Russia’s threats of nuclear weapon use in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are unacceptable, and we state unequivocally that any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be completely unjustifiable,” the leaders’ said.
The statement expressed the leaders’ affirmation and joint pursuit to seeing a world without nuclear weapons through the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as its cornerstone.
They also called on nuclear weapon states to do their role of promoting stability and transparency, as well as engaging in substantive dialogue on reducing nuclear risks. — Raymund Antonio
*****
Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
