18 December 2024
President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement.
I would like to thank USG Rosemary DiCarlo for her important briefing as well as the noteworthy briefing by Jonah Leff from Conflict Armament Research.
President,
Allow me to focus my intervention today around two main themes that are linked in an ever more dangerous way. First, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s continued violation of its non-proliferation obligations. And second, the increasing military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, which constitutes a dangerous escalation and expansion of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine with serious and direct security implications not just for Europe, but globally.
President,
On non-proliferation, the nuclear and missile programmes of the DPRK pose an immediate security threat to all countries and to the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime as a whole. The DPRK must comply immediately with its obligations under UNSC resolutions by abandoning all its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile programmes and existing nuclear programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and cease all related activities.
All UN Member States, especially Members of the UN Security Council, must ensure the full implementation of UN sanctions. We stress that those remain fully in place, despite the Russian veto that derailed the 1718 Committee’s Panel of Experts from continuing its work.
We reiterate our call for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and urge the DPRK to take concrete steps towards this goal and to return to diplomacy. The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear weapon State. The DPRK must return to compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Furthermore, we urge the DPRK to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without any preconditions or further delay.
Turning now to the issue of the expansion of military cooperation between DPRK and Russia, including direct engagement in combat against Ukrainian armed forces, let me stress again the EU’s unequivocal and strong condemnation of such a significant escalation in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
The presence of thousands of DPRK troops cooperating with the Russian military constitutes a serious breach of international law, including the most fundamental principles of the UN Charter, and a flagrant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.
This is a hostile act by the DPRK, which carries serious consequences for regional and global peace and security. It illustrates how Russia is spreading instability and escalation not just in Europe but also on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
But the DPRK and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation in other areas as well. There is clear evidence that the DPRK has been providing arms to Russia, including artillery shells and ballistic missiles, which Russia has used against Ukraine. Any arms exports or imports involving the DPRK are in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. Russia itself, a Permanent Member of this Council, is directly accountable for these violations.
We urge third countries to cease all assistance to Russia’s war of aggression. This includes not only direct military support but also the provision of dual-use goods and sensitive items that sustain Russia’s military industrial base.
President,
The interlinked character of these developments is increasingly evident and alarming. The EU is particularly concerned about the potential for any transfer of advanced military capabilities or technologies by Russia to the DPRK, including nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology, in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions.
In light of this, Russia’s apparent shift of position on the denuclearisation of the DPRK is highly suspect, dangerous and unacceptable. Russia abandons key obligations from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including to prevent nuclear proliferation, and violates multiple Security Council resolutions adopted with Russia’s support. This Council must intervene before it is too late.
Thank you.