New delhi: The top diplomats of the United States, Australia, Japan, and India reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea during their talks in New Delhi on Tuesday, as tensions flared anew following Pyongyang's missile and artillery launches.
According to Yonhap News Agency, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held their Quad ministerial meeting in the Indian capital. In a joint statement, they emphasized their commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea in line with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged Pyongyang to comply with all its obligations under these resolutions.
The statement further condemned North Korea's development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. This declaration came shortly after Pyongyang's launch of multiple close-range ballistic missiles and artillery rockets toward the Yellow Sea, indicating its ongoing efforts to enhance its weapons programs.
The diplomats also expressed concern over North Korea's cyber activities and information technology worker activities, which they claimed fund Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. They pledged to support efforts addressing violations of North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions and urged all U.N. member states to implement sanctions, including prohibitions related to arms and related material.
Additionally, the diplomats voiced concern regarding countries deepening military cooperation with North Korea, noting that such actions undermine global non-proliferation efforts. During the meeting, the countries agreed to launch the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Corporation Initiative aimed at enhancing information sharing through surveillance capabilities.
Further discussions led to an agreement on expanding the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which will provide near real-time commercial maritime domain awareness data to countries in the region. This initiative seeks to address concerns over disruptions to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial sea lane for oil, natural gas, and commodity shipments.
Highlighting the significance of maritime security, Rubio emphasized that 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific, underscoring its importance to numerous countries worldwide.