News / Russia

Pyongyang ready for peace talks if recognized as nuclear power: Report

Friday, 01 December 2017 4:22 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 01 December 2017 4:25 PM ]

A man walks past a television screen showing video footage of North Korea's missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

North Korea has reportedly expressed its readiness to take part in peace talks if the United States recognizes Pyongyang as a nuclear power.

Moscow, which -- along with Beijing -- is considered to be an ally of North Korea, has been increasingly concerned by the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula fomented by a growing US military presence and provocative military drills in the region.

North Koreans “are ready to talk, however the Korean side has its own condition – it should be recognized as a nuclear power,” Vitaly Pashin, a member of the Russian parliamentary delegation to Pyongyang, said as quoted by Russia Today (RT) on Friday.

Pashin added that Pyongyang was prepared to talk with Washington “under parity condition” with the participation of Russia as a third party.

North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had become a full nuclear power after successfully launching a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of targeting any location in the US.

PressTV-North Korea says has full nuclear force, can hit all of US

Pyongyang confirms it is now a completely nuclear state and that its newly tested intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of reaching anywhere in the United States.

Pashin said Pyongyang claimed it had been forced to adopt an aggressive stance and would carry on with its missile and nuclear development programs that it says are needed for defending the nation against aggression.

The member of the Russian delegation, who is also a lawmaker of the State Duma, said Pyongyang now felt safe.

Pyongyang has repeatedly announced that its nuclear arsenal has a defensive nature against the US hegemonic policy.

In the statement on Wednesday, Pyongyang described itself as a “responsible nuclear power,” saying its strategic weapons were developed to defend its sovereignty and territorial rights against the US.

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