NATO leaders strongly condemn N. Korea’s weapons exports to Russia: summit declaration

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 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 "fuelling 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." Source: Yonhap News Agency