Politics

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK released a statement entitled “We will deter the imminent grave threat by dint of stronger strategic counteraction” on July 12.

The statement said:

The US revealed its sinister intention to further strengthen collusion between NATO and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, branding as a "threat" the just and legitimate exercise of sovereignty by such independent states as the DPRK, at a NATO summit held in Washington.

The Washington summit declaration cooked up and issued on July 10 proves that the US and NATO, which has been reduced to the former’s means of confrontation, are the gravest threat to global peace and security.

The DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs most strongly denounces and rejects the Washington summit declaration as an illegal document that violates the legitimate rights of independent sovereign states and a confrontational programme that incites a new Cold War and military confrontation on a global scale.

The US’ moves to expand military blocs at present are the most malignant root cause of serious danger to regional peace, extreme deterioration of international security environment and worldwide arms race.

The US should clarify, before shifting responsibility for the worsening Europe-Atlantic security to other countries, who has ceaselessly damaged the security environment in the European region through NATO's reckless eastward advance and expansion policy for decades.

And before asserting that the security in the North Atlantic region is linked with that in the Asia-Pacific region, it should also explain who has persistently tried to involve the pro-American vassal states in Asia in NATO in the past 10-odd years.

We sternly warn that NATO's "globalization" strategy pursued by the US might cause the danger of a world war.

The US should be held wholly accountable for wantonly violating the recognized principles of international law including respect for sovereignty, noninterference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, seriously encroaching upon the sovereignty and security interests of other countries and constantly undermining the strategic stability of the world.

The prevailing situation requires a new force and mode of counteraction to foil the US attempt to expand its military bloc, an urgent challenge to international peace and stability.

The DPRK will never tolerate or evade the coming grave threat but thoroughly deter the threat of aggression and war and defend peace and security in the region and the rest of the world with a higher level of strategic counteraction.