TOKYO, Nov 8, 2023 (71newsbd/AFP) – G7 foreign ministers on Wednesday “strongly condemned” North Korean arms transfers to Russia, Japan said Wednesday following talks in Tokyo.

“The G7 Foreign Ministers strongly condemned North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches as well as arms transfers from North Korea to Russia, which directly violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

North Korea has provided Russia with more than one million artillery rounds to use in its war with Ukraine, with Pyongyang appearing to receive advice on satellite technology in return, a South Korean lawmaker said earlier this month, citing Seoul’s spy agency.

The countries’ leaders, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, held a summit in September in Russia’s far east, with the United States subsequently claiming Pyongyang had begun providing Moscow with weapons.

The G7 meetings also discussed how best to engage with an increasingly assertive China.

The foreign ministers “reaffirmed once again that they recognize the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China, acknowledging the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest,” Japan said.