OTTAWA: South Korea and Canada have jointly called for North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia and cease its support for Moscow in the ongoing conflict against Ukraine. This appeal was highlighted in local media reports on Saturday, following a significant meeting in Ottawa involving the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries. The joint statement released post-meeting termed the troop deployment as "a significant escalation with dangerous implications for security and stability in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region." According to Anadolu Agency, the discussions also included strong condemnation of North Korea's recent missile launches, specifically pointing to the new intercontinental ballistic missile launched on Thursday. These missile activities have added tension to the already fraught geopolitical landscape. The situation gained further complexity after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's assertion that approximately 8,000 North Korean soldiers are currently stationed in the Kursk region, near Ukraine's border. While Pyongyang has not yet officially addressed Blinken's statement, North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui declared on Friday that North Korea would "powerfully support and assist the Russian army" until it achieves victory in Ukraine.
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