“The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) ballistic missile launches on July 4, 2009, demonstrate the continuous disregard of this country vis-à-vis the warnings of the international community and constitute a violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Thus, we condemn these actions, which are a cause of deep concern. We call on the DPRK to abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions fully and to adopt maximum restraint,” the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released late on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, the 15-member UN Security Council, of which Turkey is a temporary member, condemned the launch while stating that they will continue to closely monitor the situation and reaffirming their commitment to a “peaceful, diplomatic and political solution.”
On Saturday, North Korea fired missiles into the ocean off its east coast in violation of three UN Security Council resolutions. The DPRK's missile tests aggravated tensions that were already heightened after its May 25 underground nuclear test blast. The council responded to the DPRK's May nuclear test with a resolution and tough sanctions clamping down on the alleged trading of banned arms and weapons-related material and authorizing searches of suspect ships.
