North Korea rejects call to halt nuclear tests
North Korea refused to comply with the CTBT Friends' call to halt nuclear tests. North Korea's Foreign Ministry called the statement a provocation, and Pyongyang described itself as a responsible state possessing nuclear weapons.
Yulduz Salimov1 min read
North Korea's Foreign Ministry rejected an international call to halt nuclear tests, calling the statement a "serious political provocation against our state" coming from "hostile forces." The state news agency KCNA reported this.
Meeting of the CTBT Friends in New York
On Tuesday, a meeting of ministers from the countries participating in the "Friends of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty" (CTBT) group was held in New York. The group includes Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.
Meeting participants stated that any new nuclear test by North Korea would be irresponsible and unacceptable. The meeting also included a call for Pyongyang to fully comply with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Pyongyang's statements
A North Korean Foreign Ministry representative, in a statement published by KCNA, called the DPRK a "responsible state possessing nuclear weapons."
In another statement distributed by KCNA earlier the same day, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said that Pyongyang's nuclear status is irreversible.
Choe Son Hui reacted to a separate meeting of representatives of the United States, South Korea and Japan held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. Meeting participants again confirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
About the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted in 1996, prohibits "any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion" anywhere in the world. Its goal is to reduce and ultimately completely eliminate nuclear weapons.
Source: news.am
