Bulgaria welcomes announcement by North Korea of suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests
Bulgaria welcomes as a positive signal the announcement by North Korea that it will discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinenal ballistic missile tests, close the nuclear test site in the north of the country, and not to use or distribute nuclear weapons and technology for manufacturing in third countries.
This is according to a statement on April 21 2018 by the Foreign Ministry in Sofia.
“We consider these actions by the leadership of North Korea as an important step towards creating an atmosphere of dialogue with the Republic of Korea and the United States, a more appropriate common political climate, and ultimately a full, irreversible and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the achievement of lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter,” the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said.
As a member of the European Union and as the holder of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, Bulgaria reaffirms its commitment to the EU’s policy of critical engagement with North Korea, followed by the EU and confirmed in today’s statement by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, the statement said.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday the country “will never use nuclear weapons nor transfer nuclear weapons or nuclear technology under any circumstances unless there are nuclear threats and nuclear provocation against the DPRK.”
On April 21, Mogherini said the announcement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that the country will, as of today, stop nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as the closure of its nuclear test site, “is a positive, long sought-after step on the path that has now to lead to the country’s complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, the full respect for its international obligations and all relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty”.
“The European Union looks forward to the upcoming Summit meetings between the President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in and the leader of the DPRK; and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the leader of the DPRK. We hope that these high-level initiatives can continue to build confidence and bring about additional, concrete and positive outcomes,” Mogherini said.
“The European Union will continue to support a negotiated solution in any way possible, including through sharing our own experience of negotiations for denuclearisation. We will also continue to implement in full our policy of critical engagement, which combines strong pressure on the DPRK regime through sanctions – both imposed by the United Nations and autonomously imposed at the European Union level – with keeping communication channels open,” she said.
