Washington / Brussels, 6 January 2016 - President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Hon. Michael R. Turner, issued the below statement following claims by the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that it has successfully detonated a thermonuclear device.

I condemn in the strongest possible terms any nuclear test allegedly conducted by the government of North Korea. If reports prove accurate, this most recent test poses a direct threat to the United States, NATO, and our many partner nations in the region. North Korea’s continued development of nuclear weapons and advanced delivery capabilities must be met with decisive action and condemnation by the entire international community. North Korea is a nuclear proliferator and has chosen a dangerous course of steady escalation.President Turner has made nuclear deterrence one of the main priorities of his presidency of the NATO PA. He will be presenting a report to the Assembly on the increasing global nuclear threat and the importance of NATO’s nuclear deterrent later this year. Mr. Turner has long been an advocate of a strong nuclear deterrent in the United States Congress, and previously served as the Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

We cannot afford to be complacent or naïve towards nuclear proliferators like North Korea. This event also reminds us of the fundamental importance of nuclear deterrence to our countries and citizens’ security. I sincerely hope that NATO’s Summit in Warsaw in July will reaffirm unambiguously that in today’s dangerous environment, nuclear deterrence remains the ultimate and essential guarantee of Allies’ security.