TOKYO (Sputnik) – Russia will not allow a “behind the back” deal on North Korea’s nuclear issue, Russian Foreign Ministry Envoy Grigory Logvinov said Thursday.
“There should not be any collaboration behind the back, we are categorically against this,” Logvinov told RIA Novosti in an interview.
Six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions began in 2003 with the participation of Russia, China, the United States, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. In 2006, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon.
Attempts to Increase Pressure on N.Korea to Halt Nuclear Program Counterproductive
“Statements on increasing pressure and clamping down are counterproductive and won’t lead to anything positive,” Logvinov told RIA Novosti.
Earlier, highly appointed diplomats from the United States, Japan, and South Korea held a meeting in Seoul to discuss tightening the screws against North Korea and increasing sanctions in order to return Pyongyang to the negotiations table after they themselves stepped away from the talks and insisted on certain conditions in order to continue the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear issue.
