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| ▲ Dennis Francis, president of the U.N. General Assembly, speaks during a meeting with reporters at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 20, 2023. (Yonhap) |
UN General Assembly-N Korea
U.N. General Assembly head hopes no tension-escalating measures follow N.K.-Russia talks
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- The president of the U.N. General Assembly on Friday voiced hopes "no policy measures" threatening the security of the Korean Peninsula come out of Pyongyang's recent talks on military cooperation with Russia.
Dennis Francis, president of the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly, made the appeal in a press conference during his visit to Seoul, as the Russian foreign minister visited North Korea this week amid lingering speculation over a possible arms deal.
"Our hope is that out of that dialogue, nothing would be done or no policy measures would be developed that would in any way increase tensions on the peninsula or violate the terms of the armistice agreement ... and therefore threaten the stability and security of the peninsula," he said.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a two-day visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday in a follow-up to the Sept. 13 summit between the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's Far East.
Francis then urged North Korean authorities to "honor" their obligations under international law and cease all "provocative engagements," stressing that the North's test firing of missiles constitutes a violation of U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.
Despite many pressing concerns in the world, including the Israel-Hamas war that is "on the brink," he pointed out the U.N. General Assembly will seek to address the North Korean issue, promising it will "not go off of the agenda."
Francis, meanwhile, expressed support for South Korea as it is set to begin serving as a nonpermanent member of the UNSC for a two-year term next year.
"I have every reason to believe that (South Korea) is going to be an active and credible member of the Security Council, given its own history and given Korea's deep commitment to international peace and security," he said.
Francis also touched on the importance of multilateral engagements in a time of such heightened tension in many regions of the world.
"Yes, this is a time when multilateralism is under threat. But it is not hopelessly so," he said. "Our role and our responsibility as UN officials is to foster peace to the best of our ability, from climate change to sustainable development, from regional peace to international security, from denuclearization to human rights."
On the Israel-Hamas war, he said there will be a discussion in the General Assembly, as the international community watches daily "with great anxiety the possibility of the unfolding of a major military conflict that will have important regional geopolitical consequences."
"War is always avoidable. ... War is a decision that we make as human beings, and therefore it's always avoidable," he said.
Francis is a senior diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago, serving his term as the UNGA president for one year until September 2024. He was in Seoul to attend the UNCPGA, a gathering of past UNGA presidents.
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