Moscow Says Ready to Cooperate with Pyongyang to Resolve Missile Crisis

Russia says it is ready to work with North Korea to try to find a peaceful resolution to the missile crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

The Russian Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement issued on Friday after a meeting between Russian ambassador-at-large Oleg Burmistrov and Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North American department of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, according to Press TV.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the North Korean official also met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

 “The Russian side confirmed its readiness to combine efforts in the interests of finding ways to solve the problems in the region by peaceful, political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.

The United States and North Korea have been at loggerheads over Pyongyang’s weapons and nuclear programs and Washington’s military posture against the North.

Pyongyang says it will not give up on its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

Tensions have recently significantly risen between North Korea and the US. The latter flew bombers over waters east of North Korea on September 23, and Pyongyang said afterwards that it had every right to shoot down those planes.

H.M