Delegation of DPRK Ministry of National Defence Attends 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum

Pyongyang, September 18 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK Ministry of National Defence took part in the 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum held in China.

The forum on the theme of "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together" brought together delegations, experts and scholars from more than 100 countries, regions and international organizations.

Kim Kang Il, vice-minister of National Defence who is heading the DPRK delegation, made a speech at the third full-dress meeting of the forum on Sept. 17.

Saying that it is the common desire of mankind to achieve independent development and prosperity in a peaceful world free from domination, subjugation, aggression and war, he noted that the DPRK has made every possible effort to ensure lasting peace and stability in the Korean peninsula, a hotspot of the world.

When the basis of global peace and stability has been seriously shaken owing to the recent brigandish and unlimited geopolitical greed and abuse of strength of the U.S. and its vassal forces, the aggressive military bloc sharing nuclear weapons has been expanded and strengthened and various military drills on the premise of using nukes have been openly staged in the Korean peninsula, gravely encroaching upon the security of our state, he pointed out.

He stated that the main reason why the situation of the Korean peninsula has not been freed from the evil cycle of confrontation and escalated tension is the reckless political and military confrontational moves of the U.S. and its vassal forces, which have gradually raised the level of preparations for a nuclear war, regarding the hostility toward the DPRK as their invariable state policy for many years.

The DPRK's position as a nuclear weapons state, fixed by the Constitution, the supreme law of the state, is definite and irreversible, and the enemy countries with the most hostile and ferocious intention against it should stop criticizing the DPRK's just self-defence policy and abandon their unrealistic daydream for "denuclearization", he stressed.

He affirmed that the further the hostile forces maximize their nuclear threat to the DPRK and the more persistently they intensify their confrontation moves, the further the DPRK will steadily bolster up its nuclear war deterrent for self-defence on the principle of ensuring security and peace with great strength and thus reliably defend peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region.

Calling on the international community to properly understand the source of escalated tension in the Asia-Pacific region including the Korean peninsula and lift up the common voice for international justice, he stated that the DPRK would develop good-neighborly relations with all countries of the world aspiring after justice and independence and make joint efforts to oppose hegemony and unilateralism and establish a fair international order.

That day the head of the delegation of the DPRK Ministry of National Defence met with the minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.

Discussed at the talk were the issue for expanding practical cooperation and achieving the joint development of both sides by boosting the strategic communication between the armies of the two countries and promoting their mutual trust and the issue for strengthening cooperation to oppose hegemony, high-handed politics and tendency for neo-militarism in the international arena.

Meanwhile, the DPRK delegation visited the venue of the 14th China International Defence Exhibition and was invited to a reception given by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. -0-