The situation is not really peaceful. North Korea is “in the provocation phase” with its recent ballistic missile tests, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday after a meeting in Honolulu with his counterparts, South Korean Chung Eui-yong. , and the Japanese Hayashi Yoshimasa. All three reaffirmed their unity in the face of the North Korean threat.
Pyongyang “must cease its illegal activities and start dialogue”, they wrote in a joint statement, describing as “destabilizing” the seven weapons tests carried out by North Korea since the beginning of the year. Washington, Tokyo and Seoul “have no hostile intentions” towards Pyongyang and continue to wish for the opening of a dialogue “without preconditions”, added the three ministers.
Reflection on sanctions
“We continue to look for ways to hold (North Korea) accountable” for its actions, Antony Blinken told a joint news conference with his counterparts, citing Washington’s recent sanctions on eight individuals and organizations linked to the Kim Jong Un regime.
The US Secretary of State stopped in Hawaii on his return from a tour of the Pacific, which took him to Australia and Fiji. In Melbourne, he attended a meeting of the Quad, the alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan and India designed to counter China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific.
During this week-long tour, the White House published an 18-page document emphasizing the centrality of the region, renamed “Indo-Pacific” by American diplomacy, for the interests of the United States. “This strategy reflects the fundamental truth that, more than in any other part of the world, what happens in this region will influence the lives of Americans and people everywhere,” said Antony Blinken in Honolulu.
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