Australia announces sanctions against organizations linked to North Korean arms exports to Russia

May 17. () –

The Government of Australia announced this Friday sanctions against organizations linked to the export of North Korean weapons and military technology to Russia, and has denounced that this type of transfer violates the embargo imposed by the United Nations on North Korea.

The Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, has indicated that this measure, “in coordination with international partners”, affects six entities and has taken the opportunity to “strongly condemn” the illegal export from North Korea and the acquisition and use by Russia of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russia’s large-scale war against Ukraine.

“Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s illegal and immoral war of aggression and undermines the global non-proliferation regime,” reads a statement published on the diplomatic portfolio’s website. .

Wong stressed that the “deepening” of cooperation between Pyongyang and Russia is providing technical and military expertise to the North Korean authorities, “with serious security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the entire Indo-Pacific region.”

Finally, Canberra has assured that it will continue to work with its allies to hold both countries accountable and to address “the security threat posed by North Korea”, which it has called on to comply “fully with Council resolutions.” Security Council to abandon its illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

The day before, the United States Treasury Department also issued new sanctions against Russian companies and citizens for trading arms with North Korea. “Russia is increasingly turning to North Korea for ammunition to wage its war against Ukraine and has fired dozens of ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea at targets in Ukraine,” he denounced.