Turkey condemns North Korea ballistic missile launches

ANKARA

AFP photo

Turkey has condemned the launches of ballistic missiles by North Korea on March 6.        

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement issued on March 6 evening said the ballistic missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) “constitute yet another flagrant violation of multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions, including Resolution 2321 adopted in November 2016.”        

“The DPRK must fully comply with its international obligations under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and cease its ballistic missile launches and other activities threatening regional, as well as international security and stability,” the statement said.        

“We once again call upon the DPRK to cease its confrontational behavior which benefits neither the DPRK itself nor the international community and is detrimental to peace and security of the region,” it added.        

North Korea test-fired four missiles on March 6 morning, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Seoul is investigating what kind of ballistic projectiles were launched, with support from the United States.        
Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn denounced the launches as “a grave provocation to the international community.”      
   
This is the second missile challenge from North Korea since U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in. Despite mounting international pressure, the North tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Feb. 12.