G7 urges N Korea, Russia to ‘cease unlawful arms transfers’

ROME: G7 foreign ministers said on Friday that they were “gravely concerned” about deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea, particularly arms transfers from Pyongyang to Moscow for use in attacking Ukraine.

“We are gravely concerned by the deepening DPRK-Russia cooperation in flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” they said in a statement issued by this year´s G7 president, Italy. “We call on the DPRK (North Korea) and Russia to cease unlawful arms transfers,” said the statement, also issued on behalf of ministers from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union.

The Group of Seven wealthy developed nations include the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada.

The European Union on Friday added six individuals and three companies to its North Korea sanctions list, while last week Japan and South Korea announced separate sanctions packages targeting companies, vessels or individuals allegedly involved in supplying North Korean weapons to Russia.

Such sanctions “represent a coordinated effort to hold the DPRK and Russia to account and to impose costs on actors and entities involved in the unlawful transfer of arms from the DPRK to Russia for use in attacking Ukraine”, the ministers said on Friday.