US, Canada to host meeting on North Korea nuke threat

Washington: The US and Canada will next month co-host a meeting of foreign ministers from around the world, including India, to discuss North Korea‘s nuclear threat and ways to improve the effectiveness of the current pressure campaign against the reclusive nation.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland made the announcement during their meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday. The meeting will take place on January 16.

“With the convening of what we’re calling the Vancouver Group in mid-January, this is a convening of foreign ministers from the original sending states that were involved



in the original Korean conflict.

The Vancouver Group include Australia, Belgium, Britain, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

“But we also obviously are including other important parties – the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, Sweden, and others, who we think are important to have engaged in this meeting,” Tillerson told reporters.

The participating countries at the level of foreign minister will be discussing how to improve the effectiveness of the current pressure campaign, Tillerson said.