Development of North Korea’s nuclear program leads to irreparable consequences - Russian ambassador

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Pyongyang’s policy aimed at developing its nuclear program can lead to further aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and irreparable consequences, Russian Ambassador to South Korea, Alexander Timonin, told TASS. "Russia, just as South Korea, does not accept North Korea’s self-proclaimed nuclear status," he said. "We are confident that the policy aimed at boosting its nuclear missile capacity is not conducive to ensuring Pyongyang’s security and can lead to further aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and irreparable consequences for the situation in the region as a whole." "Relying on these considerations, the Russian side supported UN Security Council Resolutions 2270 and 2321 passed in 2016 over nuclear missile tests in the North and has strictly complied with the provisions of these documents," the diplomat said. Timonin noted that Russia does not share the excessively tough approach towards North Korea by the US and its regional allies. "For us it is obvious that hopes that sanctions and pressure will sooner or later trigger North Korea’s collapse or force top officials in that country to make serious concessions on key issues are futile," he went on to say. "We adhere to an opinion that the only way of tackling the nuclear and other issues of the Korean Peninsula is the continuation of political and diplomatic efforts with a view to returning North Korea to the six-party negotiating table." The ambassador added that the final denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula "must be carried out within the framework of the overall easing of tensions in the military and political sphere in Northeast Asia, reducing the level of military confrontation and laying the foundation for mutual trust between the countries in the region." Read more