Flags of North Korea and Russia at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Amur region of Russia. Photo: Sputnik/Artem Geodakyan.
The UN mechanism for monitoring compliance with sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has become a “tool of North Korea’s geopolitical opponents,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, stating that this was the reason for Russia’s veto against the extension of this mechanism.
On Friday, March 29, the Russian veto of the corresponding draft resolution, proposed by the United States, put an end to the mandate of the UN experts monitoring compliance with the UN Security Council sanctions imposed on DPRK.
“The Group of Experts of the 1718 Committee of the UN Security Council lost all standards of objectivity and impartiality, which should be integral features of its mandate, and instead became an obedient tool of North Korea’s geopolitical opponents,” Maria Zakharova said in a statement, stressing that “it makes no sense to preserve it in this form.”
Russia, she continued, did its best to find a “compromise solution” and made several proposals to modify the system, but they were all “met with hostility” in the UN Security Council.
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She emphasized that the sanctions have not helped to improve the security situation in the Korean peninsula.
On the contrary, due to the lack of mechanisms to review the measures, they “continue to be a serious point of friction that prevents confidence building and the maintenance of political dialogue,” Zakharova stressed.
She also highlighted the serious humanitarian consequences that the sanctions have had on the North Korean population.
“In this regard, we strongly reject all accusations and threats, reaffirm Russia’s responsible approach to fulfilling its international obligations and its determination to develop friendly relations with the DPRK,” Zakharova concluded.
Commenting on the Russian veto, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that “this position is more in line” with Russia’s interests.
(Sputnik)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
