India expresses concern at UN after North Korea ICBM launch
India on Saturday – at the United Nations – reiterated its continued support for denuclearisation towards peace and security in the Korean peninsula, asserting that it’s in the “collective interest” .
New Delhi has called for “dialogue and diplomacy” amid criticism of the latest ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launch by North Korea.
“We have in the past expressed our concern at the recent ballistic missile launches by the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and we have now noted reports of another ICBM launch on November 2. These follow launches last month following which the (UN) Security Council had met,” Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in her address.
“These launches constitute violations of the resolutions of the Security Council, relating to the DPRK. They affect the peace and security of the region and beyond. India calls for the full implementation of the UNSC resolution, relating to the DPRK. At the same, we would like to reiterate the proliferation of nuclear and missile technology relating to our region. Proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies is a matter of concern, and they have an adverse impact on peace and security in the region, including on India,” she further stressed.
In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also strongly criticised North Korea for the launch “as well as the barrage of various missiles over the past two days.” Urging the North “to immediately desist from taking any further provocative action and to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions,” he called for urgent steps to ensure “sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”.
On Friday, South Korea was reported to have scrambled stealth jets after detecting the mobilisation of 180 North Korean warplanes and a record-breaking blitz of missile tests by Pyongyang this week, news agency AFP reported. The tensions come as the Ukraine war – which started in February – continues with no end in sight.
Meanwhile, the US, and its allies have also been clashing with China, Russia over the North’s missile launches. The US supports the South while China and Russia blame the country for the tensions.