ISLAMABAD

The US and 10 other countries, including South Korea, vowed to fully implement the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

This came after Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the UK, and US held the inaugural meeting of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) Steering Committee in Washington on Wednesday and discussed the council sanctions against Pyongyang.

"The participating states of the MSMT are aligned in our commitment to uphold international peace and security, safeguard the global nonproliferation regime, and address the threat arising from the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs," said a joint statement.

The MSMT was established in October last year following Russia’s veto in March 2024, which disbanded the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts.

The MSMT’s purpose is to assist the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea by publishing reports and information based on rigorous inquiry into relevant sanctions violations and evasion attempts as well as successful enforcement efforts.

"We reaffirm that the path to dialogue remains open, and call on all states to join global efforts to maintain international peace and security in the face of ongoing threats from the DPRK and those that facilitate its UNSCR violations," the statement said.

Last year, Russia vetoed a draft resolution, spearheaded by the US, that called for the extension of the North Korea Sanctions Committee Panel of Experts mandate for another year.