MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings take place in the Philippine capital of Manila on August 2-8, bringing together the heads of foreign offices from 27 states.
"We … reiterate our grave concerns over the escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula including the most recent testing by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) on 4 and 28 July 2017 and previous ballistic missile launches and two nuclear tests in 2016," the statement read.
The escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula threatens to "peace, security and stability in the region and the world," the ASEAN foreign ministers noted.
"In this regard, we strongly urge the DPRK to immediately comply fully with its obligations under all relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions," the foreign ministers pointed out in the statement.
The ASEAN foreign ministers also expressed hope for the "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner." In addition, the ministers said they had supported the initiatives aimed at the improvement of the inter-Korean relations and expressed readiness to "play a constructive role in contributing to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula."
ASEAN was established by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in 1967. Since then, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia have joined the organization. The association strives to enhance regional cooperation in the economic, social, cultural and other spheres, as well as promote peace and security.
