Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, President-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Monday condemned the nuclear weapons test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea earlier on the day.

"I condemn this provocative act, which is a serious threat to regional and global stability," De Gucht said, adding that DPRK should "immediately abandon its nuclear weapons program and avoid any actions that would further heighten tension."

De Gucht also called on DPRK to return to the six-party talks, the aim of which is to persuade the country to abandon developing nuclear weapons.

Those talks involve two OSCE participating states, the United States and Russia, and two OSCE partners for co-operation, South Korea and Japan.

"The 56-state OSCE, as part of the international community, is ready to contribute to a unified, strong response to this aggressive move," De Gucht said.

"We must demonstrate that provocations of this kind will not be accepted. Our organization directly borders North Korea, as Russiais a participating state," he added.

The President-in-Office also spoke out against reactions that could trigger an arms race in the region.

"Cooperation and dialogue, not nuclear deterrence or larger militaries, lead to global security," he said.