The United States, South Korea and Japan have announced the establishment of a new multinational unit to monitor compliance with sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) – the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).
The founders explained their decision at a press conference by citing Russia’s veto of a draft resolution by the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of an expert group monitoring sanctions against North Korea as the reason for their decision. A representative from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs justified the veto, saying that sanctions had not helped improve the security situation in the Korean Peninsula over the years.
“The goal of the new mechanism is to assist the full implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK by publishing information based on rigorous inquiry into sanctions violations and evasions attempts.
We underscore our shared determination to fully implement relevant UNSCRs regarding the DPRK, reaffirm that the path to dialogue remains open, and call on all states to join global efforts to maintain international peace and security in the face of the ongoing threats from the DPRK,”- stated the founders of MSMT.
