India criticised Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) decision to test a thermo-nuclear device on Sunday, saying it views with “deep concern” the test that was in violation of its international commitment, and constituted a threat to India’s national security as well.
“India deplores the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK [North Korea] this morning,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, adding, “We call upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
The statement came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in the Chinese city of Xiamen to attend the BRICS (Brazil Russia India China South Africa) grouping summit, where the North Korean nuclear test is expected to be discussed between the leaders. In an editorial on the Kremlin’s website ahead of the BRICS summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that the U.S. and North Korea were “balanced on the verge of a large-scale conflict,” and called for direct dialogue to resolve the region’s problems. However, after news of the DPRK’s nuclear test, Russia and China have joined criticism of the North Korean regime.
Mr. Modi is likely to raise concerns over North Korea, as well as Pakistan, countries that have received support on their nuclear programmes from China during the BRICS visit. In a veiled reference to the nuclear threat from both, the MEA added in its statement on Sunday that “India also remains concerned about the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies which has adversely impacted India’s national security.”
The MEA statement comes on the back of a number of statements made by India on the North Korean issue in recent months. In June, condemnation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s actions was contained in the Indo-U.S. joint statement issued during Mr. Modi’s visit to Washington, while in July, the MEA had criticised the DPRK’s missile test in a statement. In August, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh had said at an ASEAN Minister’s conference in Phillipines that DPRK’s “continued pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes… pose a grave threat to international peace and stability.”
The issue is also likely to be highlighted during the upcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who will travel to India in mid-September. On Sunday, the Japanese government lodged a strong protest with North Korea, calling the test, Korea’s 6th such nuclear test “extremely unforgivable.”
