WASHINGTON( WNAM MONITORING): The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries “strongly” condemned North Korea’s weapons exports to Russia and voiced “great concern” over the two countries’ deepening partnership as they issued a summit declaration on Wednesday.
The leaders attended a NATO summit in Washington amid growing concerns about the growing military alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow, China’s growing assertiveness and other global security challenges.
“We strongly condemn the DPRK’s exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles, which are in violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, and note with great concern the deepening ties between the DPRK and Russia,” they said in the declaration. DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“Any transfer of ballistic missiles and related technology by Iran to Russia would represent a substantial escalation,” they added.
The leaders stressed that North Korea and Iran are “fueling Russia’s war of aggression” against Ukraine by providing direct military support to Russia, such as munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles — a move that they said “seriously impacts Euro-Atlantic security and undermines the global non-proliferation regime.”
They doubled down on their accusations of China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base.
“The PRC has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘no limits’ partnership and its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base,” they said. “This increases the threat Russia poses to its neighbors and to Euro-Atlantic security.”
PRC stands for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
Stressing China’s position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the leaders called on Beijing to cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort.
“This includes the transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s defense sector,” they said. “The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation.”
They went on to say that China poses “systemic” challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.
“We have seen sustained malicious cyber and hybrid activities, including disinformation, stemming from the PRC. We call on the PRC to uphold its commitment to act responsibly in cyberspace,” they said. “We are concerned by developments in the PRC’s space capabilities and activities. We call on the PRC to support international efforts to promote responsible space behavior.”
The leaders highlighted the need for cooperation with NATO’s four Indo-Pacific partners — South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
“The Indo-Pacific is important for NATO, given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security. We welcome the continued contributions of our Asia-Pacific partners to Euro-Atlantic security,” they said.
They noted that NATO and the Indo-Pacific partners are enhancing practical cooperation, including through flagship projects in the areas of supporting Ukraine, cyber defense, countering disinformation and technology.
