Foreign Ministers For Complete Denuclearization Of Korean Peninsula.
Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
WASHINGTON, Mar 3 (The CONNECT) – The Quad Foreign Ministers have condemned the Russian threats of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States of America – referred to as Quad – who met today in New Delhi strongly emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity and express our deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Myanmar.
The US Department of State released the joint statement to the media today.
“We underscored the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter,” the Ministers said in a joint statement while emphasizing that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes.
The Ministers condemned North Korea for launching ballistic missiles, including the launch of yet another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on February 18, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). “We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization 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. We stress the importance of addressing proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond,” the statement said.
The meeting reaffirmed the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient and strongly supported the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Reaffirming our consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, and the ASEAN-led architecture, including the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, we remain committed to supporting implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and will be guided in our work by ASEAN’s principles and priorities,” the ministers said.
“We will support meritorious and independent candidates for elections in the UN and in international forums to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the international system. We note with appreciation the UN Secretary General’s call for full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, we underscore the importance of achieving SDGs in a comprehensive manner without prioritizing a narrow set of such goals and reaffirm that the UN has a central role in supporting countries in its implementation,” the statement said.
The statement said the Ministers strongly emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity and express our deep concern at the deteriorating situation in Myanmar. In this regard, we emphasize the need for complete cessation of violence, the release of all those arbitrarily detained, resolution of issues through dialogue, unhindered humanitarian access, and transition to an inclusive, federal democratic system in Myanmar. Towards this, we reaffirm our consistent support to the ASEAN-led efforts, including the work of the ASEAN Chair and Office of the Special Envoy, and call for the full implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. We also encourage the international community to work together in a pragmatic and constructive way towards resolving the crisis in Myanmar.
