US, North Korea will finally see Russia’s participation in denuclearization efforts is needed, says Russian diplomat

MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Russia is convinced that Washington and Pyongyang will finally agree that it is necessary to involve Russia into contacts on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with TASS. "The Americans and the North Koreans have made the first step towards this goal. It is a hard path, with inevitable stops and setbacks, but we hope very much that the sides will be demonstrate persistence, flexibility, understanding of each other’s positions, drive towards a compromise which will be reached in the long run," he said. "As for Russia, we hail this process and wish every success to it. We hope to join it at a certain point. I am convinced that both Pyongyang and Washington will see sooner or later that Russia’s participation in this process is necessary." According to the Russian diplomat, an apocalyptic scenario on the Korean Peninsula can be avoided only when it is completely denuclearized. "Regrettably, we have reached this goal so far. We have only made first steps towards it," he went on to say. "I would like to stress that the US-North Korean efforts on this track are of paramount importance. After months and years of confrontation rhetoric, after tests, launches and explosions, after large-scale drills and test bomb-droppings from US strategic bombers at South Korean testing grounds, the side have finally sat at the negotiating table." The negotiating process is not promising to be easy, Matsegora stressed. "It is an inveterate illness it cannot be cured with pills," he noted. "A long therapy is needed." A historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong in Singapore on June 12 yielded a joint document where North Korea undertook a commitment to work towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the United States. The leaders set no timeframes, saying this was a matter of further negotiations. The US president assigned this job on Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. Read more