Russian Foreign Ministry: the 1994 agreement between North Korea and U.S. must be observed unconditionally

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko stated that the framework agreement between the USA and North Korea signed in 1994, which emphasizes the necessity of strengthening the non-proliferation regime, must be observed unconditionally.

The statement, delivered on Saturday, mentions, in particular, the fact that on November the IAEA Board of Directors adopted a resolution, which demands that North Korea must strictly fulfil its obligations as a member of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). During the vote for the resolution, the Russian delegation confirmed Moscow's unchangeable position on the issue, reiterating that Russia stands against the "spread of nuclear weapons", and advocates strict compliance with the NPT by all members of the treaty and maintaining the non-nuclear status of the Korean peninsula.

The 1994 agreement between the USA and North Korea includes provisions for both countries to work together in the direction of maintaining the non-nuclear status, and those provisions "must be complied with unconditionally." At the same time, Russia is hoping that North Korea and the USA "will manage to establish a direct dialogue on all issues of mutual concern", Yakovenko's statement underlines.