The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has carried out another nuclear test. This is once again a direct and unacceptable violation of the DPRK’s international obligations not to produce or test nuclear weapons, as determined by multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and represents a major provocation, a grave threat to regional and international security and a major challenge to the global non-proliferation regime.

The European Union’s message is clear: the DPRK must abandon its nuclear, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and immediately cease all related activities.

I will be in touch with partners in the course of the day; I will also meet tomorrow CTBT Executive Secretary, Lassina Zerbo, and IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano. And I will put the issue of the DPRK on the agenda of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Tallinn next week. It is crucial that we in the European Union and the entire international community continue to deal with this in a united and coordinated manner.

In this respect, we look forward to the UN Security Council addressing the matter and taking a firm and effective stand. The European Union will, as always, closely coordinate our action with its decisions.

The DPRK must engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue, aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The EU is ready to support such a process in consultation with key partners. A de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula can only be achieved through peaceful means, in the interest of all Koreans, of all those in the region and the entire world.