Russia: UN should consider easing sanctions on North Korea
(Baonghean.vn) - On February 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that North Korea is fulfilling its obligation to stop nuclear and missile tests, so the UN Security Council should consider easing sanctions.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Getty |
Speaking at the conference titled "International Cooperation in a Turbulent World", co-organized by the Valdai International Discussion Club and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Mr. Lavrov stated: "We continue to call for encouraging Pyongyang to go further. Pyongyang is complying with its obligations to stop dangerous activities as it announced, related to missile and nuclear tests. We believe that the UN Security Council can at least show goodwill, easing and lifting some sanctions that hinder the implementation of joint inter-Korean projects."
The top Russian diplomat stressed that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to resume rail services.
Mr. Lavrov wondered: "Why doesn't the UN Security Council consider ways to change sanctions to create momentum for railway cooperation between the two Koreas?" The Russian Foreign Minister also affirmed that it is incorrect to demand that North Korea unilaterally implement all denuclearization provisions before sanctions are eased.
"The first US-North Korea summit in Singapore and preparations for the second summit in Hanoi show that this issue cannot be resolved overnight," he said.
Russia's top diplomat said that if Pyongyang completely denuclearizes, Washington needs to provide the Northeast Asian country with solid security guarantees.
