ASEAN Ministers Ask North Korea to Exercise Self-Restraint

ASEAN foreign ministers pose together at the ASEAN Ministerai Meeting 2017 in Manila..

Manila, Philippines, 1 Sya’ban 1438/28 April 2017 (MINA) — The foreign ministers of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have expressed concern over the escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula.

This follows North Korea’s two nuclear tests in 2016 and subsequent ballistic missile launches.

“ASEAN strongly urges the [North Korea] to comply fully with its obligations arising from all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSC)  and international laws in the interest of maintaining international peace and security,” Philstar reported, citing the ASEAN foreign ministers in a statement released Friday.

The foreign ministers also called on North Korea and other concerned parties to exercise self-restraint and to refrain from actions that will further escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministers noted that the instability on the Korean Peninsula impacts the region and beyond.

“ASEAN supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and in this regard, calls for the resumption of dialogue on the Korean Peninsula to defuse tensions and create conditions conducive to peace and stability,” the statement read.

North Korea has sought support from ASEAN countries in its row with the US to prevent a “nuclear holocaust.”

In a letter addressed to the ASEAN secretary general, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho warned that the situation in the region was at the brink of war.

“I express my expectations that ASEAN which attaches great importance to the regional peace and stability will make an issue of the US-South Korean joint military exercises at ASEAN conferences from the fair position and play an active role in safeguarding the peace and safety of Korean Peninsula,” the letter read. *T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agncy (MINA)