The U.S. State Department says that close cooperation among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan through the six-way nuclear talks is necessary to create a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Joseph Donovan, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made the remarks in a keynote speech during the Trilateral Dialogue in Northeast Asia meeting among the three countries in Washington.

Donovan said that the U.S. alliance with South Korea and Japan brings security and economic prosperity to the Asia-Pacific region and that the partnership between the three nations helps promote peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

Following the meeting, the deputy assistant secretary told reporters that he expects North Korea to return to the six-party nuclear talks and that Washington’s ultimate goal is to achieve denuclearization through the six-way framework.

Donovan also thanked South Korea for its decision to dispatch a provincial reconstruction team to Afghanistan, calling it a very meaningful contribution.