Uzbekistan, Japan urge North Korea to take concrete measures to abandon weapons of mass destruction

Uzbekistan and Japan called on North Korea to take concrete measures to abandon weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of any range. This is stated in the joint statement signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

“The parties reaffirmed their commitment to full compliance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and to the full, verifiable and irreversible renunciation by North Korea of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of any range in accordance with the obligations arising from these resolutions. The parties called on North Korea to take concrete measures to achieve these goals,” the statement said.

The parties also emphasized the importance of resolving humanitarian issues, including the problems of kidnapping in North Korea.

In addition, in order to obtain significant results from the 2020 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, the sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the field of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The statement notes that the Treaty on the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, based on voluntary agreements between Central Asian countries, represents an important step towards strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime and ensuring regional and international peace and security.