Russia urges DPRK to stop unlawful actions

MOSCOW - Russia is urging the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to stop its unlawful actions and follow all requirements of the UN Security Council, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Moscow insists that the DPRK should completely drop its nuclear missile programs and return to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the ministry said in a statement.

"By conducting a new nuclear test, Pyongyang once again has ignored the international norms, demonstrated disregard for the UNSC decisions," the ministry said. "Such behavior is inconsistent with the generally accepted criteria of the world coexisting and obviously deserves condemnation."

Russia especially regretted the worsening situation in the region as Moscow and Pyongyang have been good neighbors for a long time, the ministry said.

Russia, the ministry said, believes, the only way for the DPRK to break its international isolation is to stop its unlawful actions in order to participate in international cooperation without being excluded in peaceful nuclear and space programs.

The nuclear test, which the DPRK claimed was successful, was conducted at 11:57 a.m. local time (0257 GMT) in the country's Kilju County, North Hamkyung Province.

The blast triggered an artificial earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 that was detected in the town where the DPRK nuclear test facility is located.

Russia said it hoped that the test would not lead to mounting military activities around the Korean Peninsula and stressed the necessity to create an efficient peacekeeping system "based on equal security for all participants in accordance with multilateral obligations on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Meanwhile, Moscow called on all relevant participants in the six-party talks to exercise restraint and keep on making political and diplomatic efforts to normalize the situation on the Korean Peninsula.