MANILA -- The Philippines, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the ASEAN, on Thursday called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to desist from conducting further nuclear tests.

The ASEAN also urged all parties concerned to exercise restraints and refrain from taking actions which would aggravate the tension that arose following the DPRK's announcement on Monday that it had conducted an underground nuclear test successfully.

The ASEAN emphasized at an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in July in Kuala Lumpur that the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula was essential in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

ASEAN countries are deeply concerned about the DPRK's nuclear test, which is inconsistent with the DPRK's commitments under the Joint Statement of September 2005 on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula of the Six-Party Talks in Beijing, and threatens peace and security in East Asia, it said.

The statement also called on the DPRK to abide by the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 1695, particularly on its return to the Six-Party Talks, "to work towards the expeditious implementation of the 19 September 2005 joint statement and to return at an early date to the Non-Proliferation Treaty."