New Delhi wants North Korea-Pakistan nuclear axis addressed

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday welcomed the US-North Korea summit that sought to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, but desired that any solution should address Delhi’s concerns over the Pyongyang-Islamabad nuclear axis as well. “This is a positive development.

India has always supported all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

We hope that the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit will be implemented, thus paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement following the summit.


But the ministry was quick to raise India’s concerns over the North Korea-Pakistan axis. “We also hope that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue will take into account and address our concerns about proliferation linkages extending to India’s neighbourhood.”

India was the only country besides the US, South Korea and Singapore whose ministers (minister of state for external affairs VK Singh from India) visited North Korea after Trump and Kim announced that they would hold the summit to seek peace in peninsula.

Singh, during his meetings, highlighted the threat from nuclear proliferation, in particular India’s concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with India’s neighbourhood.

The Korean side emphasised that as a friendly country, it would never allow any action that would create concerns for India’s security. The role of Pakistan’s AQ Khan in developing North Korea’s nuclear programme and Pyongyang’s support to the Pak missile programme have been the biggest irritant in ties with Pyongyang. During Singh’s visit, Delhi and Pyongyang decided to explore the possibilities of cooperation in areas of mutual interest.