Sri Lanka condemns North Korea’s long range missile launch

The Government Thursday condemned the long range missile launch by North Korea on Sunday and called upon the East Asian state to abide by the international obligations.

“The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka condemns the launch of a long range missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 7 February,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement today.

“Sri Lanka calls upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to abide by its international obligations and desist from any action that would adversely impact on the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.”

North Korea fired the rocket Sunday despite warnings from a number of countries who claimed the satellite launch was a front for a long-range missile test. The rocket launch triggered a wave of international condemnation and prompted strong reaction from an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.