DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo has called for the “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of peaceful dialogue between concerned parties.
In a statement Friday, Manalo said the Philippines recognizes that the United Nations Command (UNC) must strengthen interoperability “to ensure that it effectively serves as a key platform for peace.”
Hence, the Philippines will continue to be an active participant in UNC’s initiatives, including dialogues, exchanges and exercises.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo. PHOTO: MIKE ALQUINTO
The Philippines and the Republic of Korea have a common commitment to democracy, respect for human rights and a rules-based international order as threats to stability are increasing — from the Korean Peninsula to the West Philippine Sea.
“We have consistently maintained a strong position of peace in the Korean Peninsula. We condemn the DPRK’s (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) intercontinental ballistic missile tests and launches, satellite launches using newly-acquired missile technology, unlawful military cooperation and other provocative actions,” Manalo said.
He described them as “flagrant violations of UN Security Council sanctions and only serve to increase tensions and undermine economic progress, peace, and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the greater Indo-Pacific region.”
“We urge all concerned parties to resume peaceful dialogue and continue working towards the realization of lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” he said.
He added the Philippines will continue to support efforts to secure the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
In a Yonhap news agency report in July, South Korea warned that North Korea will face the end of its regime if it attempts to use nuclear weapons.
“We sternly warn that there is no scenario in which North Korea’s regime will survive after using nuclear weapons,” Seoul’s defense ministry said in a statement.
Yonhap said the ministry blamed the rising tension on the Korean Peninsula on the North Korean regime.
“Despite opposition from the international community and sufferings of North Korean people, the regime has continued on with its illegal nuclear missile development,” the statement read.
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