(VOVWORLD) - The foreign ministers of ASEAN and other major powers reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and support for diplomacy toward that goal.
This is part of a statement released five days after the annual ASEAN Regional Forum held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, attended by the top diplomats of ASEAN member states, both Koreas, the US, China, Russia, and Japan.
Forum attendees expressed concerns over rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula triggered by a surge in ballistic missile launches by the North, and called on the DPRK to refrain from further nuclear and missile tests.
The statement urged maximum restraint and refraining from any action that would delay the resumption of a meaningful dialogue, and stressed the importance of sustained peace talks toward a lasting peace and stability on a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. The statement reiterated support for international efforts to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.