Nirj Deva, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, a unique opportunity now exists to take the first steps towards lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump’s decision to accept North Korean leader Kim Jong—un’s invitation to talks without preconditions is an unprecedented act of diplomacy. These talks are a stepping stone to further dialogue and are the beginning of a process, not its end.

We are at a point where a 64-year-old armistice will finally be made into a peace treaty. The North Koreans want this and now so do the South Koreans. President Moon must be congratulated by this House. Having returned from Asia, I come to this Chamber with the perception that the North Koreans are at last willing to discuss denuclearisation, starting with a freeze. I also know that nuclear weapons are existential to the North Koreans. They do not consider nuclear weapons simply a deterrent; the weapons also underpin the very identity of the DPRK and reinforce the authority of Kim Jong-un. The fact that they are willing to discuss denuclearisation is a huge advance in the cause of peace, a peace that can disappear like a puff of smoke if we ask for too much too soon.

There is another legitimate view that a step—by—step dismantling of the nuclear programme may simply be a stalling tactic to remove crippling sanctions and that the DPRK regime has no intention of removing the nuclear weapons. The answer to this must surely be open and authenticated verifiability. If the North is truly sincere, it must agree to a verification system that is acceptable to the international community. The EU has a role to play here. Not only will verifiability confirm a freeze, but it will also lead to a step-by-step dismantling of the weapons according to a staged process, whereby North Korea becomes more engaged in global institutions and has access to the family of nations. Again, the EU has a role to play here.