North Korea’s foreign ministry strongly rejected “outdated and absurd” calls for denuclearization from the top diplomats of the U.S., South Korea and Japan, while reiterating Pyongyang’s intent to strengthen its nuclear capabilities in response to its enemies’ “hostile threats.”

In a statement issued through the state-owned Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, the ministry lambasted the three “hostile” countries’ “adventuristic and foolish acts … inciting collective confrontation and conflict” on and around the Korean Peninsula.

The statement came in response to a joint declarationissued after a meeting on Saturday between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign