UN chief hails Japan-China-South Korea cooperation to denuclearise Korean Peninsula

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the Japan-China-South Korea summit and their effort to cooperate in ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons.

The Secretary-General "welcomes" the trilateral meeting and their cooperation for "the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued on Thursday.

"The Secretary-General hopes that the joint resolve of the countries in Northeast Asia will strengthen the path to achieve lasting peace and prosperity in this region," the spokesperson added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in met in the Japanese capital on Wednesday and agreed that the Northeast Asian neighbors will cooperate on ending North Korea's nuclear programme and promoting free trade.

This trilateral meeting followed the bilateral summit on April 27 between the leaders of South Korea and North Korea in which they agreed on measures toward lasting peace on the Peninsula.

Those agreements set out in Panmunjom Declaration include realizing the common goal of "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," and pursuing talks to declare an official end to the Korean War, which devastated the Peninsula, beginning in June 1950.

An armistice brought about a ceasefire in 1953, but the conflict never officially ended because the parties failed to reach agreement over a formal peace treaty.

The UN chief also congratulated the people of Malaysia following the peaceful holding of national and provincial elections, and praised voters for their "strong commitment" to the democratic process.

He welcomed the formation of a new government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and said he was looking forward to working closely with Malaysia on issues of mutual interest.

The new Malaysian prime minister is no stranger to the job, having led the country for much of the 1980s and 1990s, and at 92 he has become the world's oldest elected leader.