Germany, France and the United Kingdom expressed concern on Tuesday 27 August about North Korea's series of ballistic missile launches in recent weeks, calling on the country to take steps to denuclearise it.
On 24 August, Pyongyang tested a "multi-missile launcher", which follows short-range missile tests conducted in August.
"North Korea must take concrete steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. We urge North Korea to engage in meaningful negotiations with the US as agreed between President Trump and Kim Jong Un on 30 June", the three Member States called for in a joint statement.
In their view, security and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region, as well as a better future for the North Korean population, will only be possible with "serious efforts by North Korea to re-engage diplomatically and make progress on denuclearisation". "The North Korean regime is responsible for the current dire situation of its people", they said.
Berlin, Paris and London also believe that this is not the time to relax the sanctions policy against Pyongyang. According to them, "international sanctions must remain in place and be fully and strictly enforced until North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are dismantled". "It is vital that the Security Council shows unity in upholding its resolutions", they added.
North Korea was one of the topics of discussion in the G7. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)