Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano (蜜桃工作室 file photo)
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has expressed hope that the peace talks between North Korea and South Korea would result in the denuclearization as well as peace and stability in Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean Unification Ministry announced聽on聽Friday聽that Pyongyang accepted Seoul鈥檚 proposal to hold official talks on聽January 9.
In a statement聽on Friday, DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano called the peace talks as the first step toward a meaningful dialogue that would lead聽to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.
鈥淭he Philippines is hoping that the decision of the DPRK to resume official talks with the Republic of Korea would聽lead to meaningful progress in efforts to achieve not only the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula but also聽peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the Asia-Pacific,鈥� Cayetano said.
鈥淭he Philippines has consistently spoken out in the strongest possible terms against the nuclear weapons and聽ballistic missile tests and development of North Korea. It has consistently underscored the need for North Korea聽to abide by prevailing UN Security Council Resolutions,鈥� the DFA chief said.
North Korea鈥檚 willingness to engage in talks, Cayetano said, was attributed to the decision of the United States and South Korea to hold off their military exercises.
鈥淭he decision of Washington and Seoul to delay scheduled annual military exercises also聽contributed to the lowering of tensions that helped open the door for the resumption of official talks between both聽countries,鈥� he said.
The Philippine government was also ready to play a role in pushing for peace in the Korean Peninsula, Cayetano said.
鈥淭he Philippines has constantly advocated for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the situation in the Korean聽Peninsula, and we encourage both countries to continue taking concrete efforts towards this end,鈥� he聽said. /jpv
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