US Defense Secretary, Japanese, Australia Ministers Urge N.Korea To Return To Negotiations

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Japanese and Australian defense ministers Taro Kono and Linda Reynolds urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table on denuclearization, according to their joint statement circulated by the Pentagon.

"Australian Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, Japanese Minister of Defense KONO Taro, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper convened a virtual trilateral defense ministerial meeting on July 7 (Washington)...� They expressed concern about North Korea's announcement that it no longer considered itself bound by its moratorium on nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles," the statement said.

The defense chiefs again urged North Korea to cease actions that increase tensions and undermine regional stability, to comply with its international obligations and take clear steps to achieve complete and irreversible dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles programs.

"To this end, they commended ongoing diplomatic efforts to engage North Korea, and called on North Korea to return to the negotiating table and make a sustained commitment to dialogue.� In the meantime, they reaffirmed their commitment to implement and enforce sanctions against North Korea, including through ongoing cooperation to monitor and deter illegal ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum, coal, and other sanctioned goods," according to the statement.