The Sri Lankan government has condemned North Korea for firing a ballistic missile earlier this week and called on the international community to “unite in words and deeds to seek solutions to this grave situation”.
Labelling the missile launch a “significant threat to international peace and security”, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it condemned the firing “and the series of recent similar hostile acts by DPRK in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions”.
“In the interest of peace and security of all concerned, we urge the DPRK to refrain from such hostile acts and programmes, in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, which impact adversely on the stability of the region and beyond,” continued the statement.
“The international community must unite in words and deeds to seek solutions to this grave situation which is an ever increasing threat to international peace and security.”
See the full statement here.
Sri Lanka has previously criticised North Korea, twice calling on Pyongyang to “abide by its international obligations”.
The statement comes as the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) declared Sri Lanka was one of 30 ‘Human Rights Priority Countries’ (HRPCs) joining states such as Syria, , Zimbabwe and North Korea.