The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations and the high representative of the European Union for foreign and security policy have strongly condemned North Korea’s launch of a satellite using ballistic missile technology on Thursday.

According to the Japanese foreign ministry, the top diplomats said in a statement that the launch is in clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to regional as well as international peace and stability.

Criticizing the North for stepping up its provocations through ballistic missile launches despite repeated calls for restraint from the international community, the statement urged the regime to abandon its nuclear weapons and programs, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

The diplomats also said that the UN Security Council is unable to take a swift and strong response to North Korea due to some of its members, in an apparent reference to China and Russia.

Demanding the members of the UN Security Council carry out their duties, the diplomats called on the North to engage in dialogue with South Korea, the U.S. and Japan without preconditions.

The statement came after Pyongyang announced that its second attempt to launch a spy satellite earlier in the day failed.