ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday expressed grave concern over reports regarding the latest missile tests conducted by the North Korea, terming it a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
“We hope that DPRK (North Korea) will desist from steps that are inimical to regional peace and stability,” a statement from the Foreign Office said. Pakistan has been a consistent supporter of a nuclear weapons free Korean Peninsula, as agreed by all parties, the Foreign Office said.
“We believe that all countries should comply with their respective international obligations,” it said. “We oppose any action which is detrimental to peace and stability in the region and militates against the prospects of reaching a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the issue within the framework of the six party talks,” the statement said.
On Thursday, North Korea claimed to have conducted a successful test-firing of an intermediate-range missile – an apparent reference to a missile that the South Korean military said was fired into the sea one day earlier. The state-run news agency reported that the country fired a Hwasong-10 – also known as a Musudan – and that it landed accurately in waters about 400 kilometers (249 miles) down range.
The statement was reiterated by a North Korean Foreign Ministry official at its embassy in Beijing. “We are very happy. The Hwasong-10 means our transportation method has clearly succeeded. This means we can now confidently deal with whatever nuclear war the US forces,” Choe Sonhui, the general of the Department of US Affairs of North Korea Foreign Ministry said at a news conference.
