Christian groups from South Korea, the United States and Japan on Thursday issued a joint statement welcoming the resumption of the six-way talks and Seoul's proposed energy aid to North Korea.

The National Council of Churches in Korea and U.S. and Japanese counterparts said the nuclear issue is interwoven with the North's energy needs and regime security that are key to the country's survival.

They called Seoul's electricity aid proposal and aggressive initiative a step in the right direction, and urged support from neighboring countries to relieve the North's food and energy shortages.

The statement also urged a U.S. security guarantee, an inter-Korean non-aggression pact and Japan's settlement of its past atrocities and normalized ties with North Korea.