Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The North Korean Foreign Ministry has referred to the Group of Seven (G7) as a "nuclear grouping" and urged its member countries to abandon nuclear weapons, Azernews reports.

This statement was a response to a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers, during which Western nations criticized North Korea’s use of its sovereign right to develop nuclear capabilities and called for its denuclearization. Pyongyang viewed these calls as provocative, pointing out that the country’s nuclear status is enshrined in its constitution.

"The DPRK Foreign Ministry expresses serious concern that the G7 countries, the instigators of violations of global peace and security and the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, have questioned the right of a sovereign state to possess legitimate means of deterring war," the statement read. North Korea also criticized the concept of "joint nuclear weapons use" and "extended deterrence" as examples of violations of the non-proliferation regime.

The North Korean statement further emphasized that the United States is the only country to have ever used nuclear bombs and has been the "first distributor of nuclear weapons." Pyongyang's diplomats argued that Washington is exacerbating tensions, creating risks of nuclear conflict not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in Europe. The DPRK also expressed concerns over Britain’s efforts to "bring American nuclear weapons into its territory" and its involvement in transferring nuclear submarine construction technologies to a non-nuclear state.

North Korea's statements highlight the growing rhetoric around nuclear weapon proliferation in the global arena. Pyongyang's stance reflects an ongoing tension between nuclear powers, as well as the broader debate over the legitimacy of nuclear deterrence versus efforts to curb nuclear weapons development worldwide. The G7’s position and North Korea’s response underscore the complexities of nuclear diplomacy, especially in regions with ongoing geopolitical instability.