In a joint statement, the leaders of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) also reaffirmed their commitment to a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and expressed serious concern over "destabilizing" actions in the East and South China Seas.
Hosted by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, the meeting also included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
"We condemn North Korea's destabilizing ballistic missile launches and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). These launches pose a grave threat to international peace and stability," the leaders said in the statement, dubbed the "Wilmington Declaration."
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and called on all countries to fully implement U.N. sanctions on North Korea.
They emphasized the need to prevent the proliferation of its nuclear and missile technologies within the region and beyond.
Expressing "deep concern" about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, the Quad leaders warned that such actions "directly undermine the global nonproliferation regime."
The group further highlighted concerns about the country’s use of proliferation networks, malicious cyber activity and overseas workers to fund its weapons programs.
Noting the recent non-renewal of the U.N. Panel of Experts' mandate for monitoring North Korea's sanctions violations, the leaders pledged to continue implementing relevant UNSCRs, which they emphasized "remain in full force."
The meeting, held near Biden’s Delaware hometown, marked the fourth in-person and sixth overall summit since 2021, when Biden elevated the Quad from a foreign minister-level partnership to a head-of-state-level one.
The leaders expressed "serious concern" over the situation in the East and South China Seas. Without directly naming China, they strongly opposed "destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."
"We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea," they said.
The group also opposed efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore resource exploitation activities, emphasizing the importance of adherence to international law, particularly the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Reaffirming the significance of freedom of navigation and overflight, the Quad leaders stressed that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.
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