New York: Concerned over North Korea's controversial nuclear programme, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a probe into Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation links with other nations.
Without naming Pakistan, Swaraj also said that those responsible for it should be held accountable.
"EAM Sushma Swaraj deplored North Korea's recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved must be held accountable," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV on Tuesday.
The EAM made these remarks days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday.
This was North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test, which was conducted on September 3, in direct defiance of United Nations sanctions and the growing international pressure.
Swaraj made these remarks during her trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono, on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session here.
During her meeting with Tillerson and Kono, Swaraj raised the issue of countries with "linkages" to North Korea`s nuclear programme, in an indirect reference to Pakistan which had been involved in a nuclear-for-missile technology swap.
Asked if Swaraj was actually referring to Pakistan, MEA's Kumar clarified that no names were mentioned and said her statement was emphatic and clear that "proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable" and it was for reporters to interpret it.
During what Kumar described as "very hectic and active day," Sushma Swaraj attended US President Donald Trump`s summit on reforming the UN.
Trump backed plans by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reform the global organisation, but confined his comments to mostly the secretariat and bureaucracy, peacekeeping and the budget.
While India has consistently maintained that the UN needed to be reformed, it wanted a comprehensive reform that also dealt with bodies like the Security Council, Kumar said.
The meetings with Foreign Ministers Khemaies Jhinaoui of Tunisia, Anders Samuelsen of Denmark, Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE and Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa of Bahrain all had an economic dimension.
Sushma Swaraj and Jhinaoui discussed their bilateral meeting scheduled for October and cooperation in pharmaceutical and information technology (IT) fields, Kumar said. There was a huge potential for India to export vaccines because of their comparative low costs, he added.
Participation in World Food India, an international event on partnerships in India`s food economy, to be held in November was discussed in the meeting with Samuelsen, he said.
Denmark is hosting the World Food Summit this year and it also figured in their talks.
They also talked about the Make in India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opportunities for investments in India, he said.
With Agency inputs
